After being made unemployed, most people will sit down and begin the long task of applying for jobs. But if you happen to be an unemployed professional soccer player, job applications are the least of your worries.

That's something which one of Germany's most prominent free agents, Gerald Asamoah, knows better than most. The former German national player recently hit the headlines for his ongoing search for a new club after his Schalke contract was terminated. Asamoah spent last season on loan at St Pauli and couldn't save them from relegation, now the 32-year-old winger is seeking a side willing to give him one more top-flight chance. His experience is proof that even the highest-profile unemployed professionals often have a tough time finding a new contract.

When the job search kicks off, players usually have to meet with coaches from several different clubs to stand a chance of being taken on.

They've also got to make sure that the lifestyle of an unemployed soccer player doesn't go straight to their hips! Playing modern-day professional football an extraordinary level of physical fitness which is difficult to maintain without the daily grind of a professional training regime.

As a free agent therefore, the chances of getting a contract with a club are rather low. But a new organization in Duisburg says that it has the answer.

Successful concept

Since 2003, the Association of Contract Football Players has run an annual football camp for unemployed players. Every year from July until September, the Verdau sports school in Duisburg - known as the VDV in Germany - transforms into the home of dozens of ex-professional sportsmen.

The players train twice a day, four times a week in the hope that they will leave the camp in prime physical condition - and secure that contract.

In order for the players to show off their skills, friendly matches with regional clubs are held regularly. Trainers and managers are invited to the games where they can check out the players' abilities for themselves.

This system has thrown up some remarkable results.

"Last season we enrolled over 100 registrations, and by the end of the camp, 85 percent of the players had a job," says the VDV managing director Ulf Baranowsky.

Unemployment among professional football players is not uncommon. Players' careers can be over from one day to the next if they are injured in a game. Clubs going bankrupt and contracts expiring also contribute to the large number of top-flight players who are struggling to get back in the game. Less well-known players can slip through the cracks, while the higher salary expectations of experienced veterans like Asamoah can hurt even players once considered high-rollers in the Bundesliga.

Step in the right direction

The somewhat merciless hiring and firing of players has its advantages for the Duisburg training camp. Head coach Christian Wück says he can hardly believe the quality of the players that are enrolled in this years training camp. He even considers several of the players to have the capability to play in one of the top four German leagues at a fully-professional level.

While cheap, skilled players are highly sought after in the third- and fourth-tier divisions, coach Wück is fully intent on pushing the players to their full potential.

If the players play well on the pitch in the upcoming friendly matches, they have a chance of finding a home before the transfer window closes at the end of September.

But it isn't just the coach who has high hopes for the team. The players themselves see the camp as a stepping stone back into professional football.

"We are all confident that we will be offered a job in the foreseeable future," 30-year old former Cologne player Roland Benschneider said.

The age and experience of the players varies considerably. Nevertheless, they all have the same goal - to get noticed. While the players seek to secure permanent positions, they are motivated to perform to their best ability.

But according to teammate and former MSV Duisburg professional, Robert Kruppa, this high pressure environment doesn't affect morale. "There isn't such a constant sense of competition between players as you can find in normal clubs," says Kruppa. "Everyone gets on really well."

Run by professionals, for professionals

Professional soccer players are aware that unemployment can strike at any time.

It is for this reason that prominent professionals including Christoph Metzelder, Carsten Ramelow, Simon Rolfes, Sebastian Kehl, Per Mertesacker and even Gerald Asamoah are all involved in the VDV project.

They are important members who help both unemployed and contract players. As the CEO Ulf Baranowsky puts it, VDV is a club "run by professionals, for professionals."

But VDV is not only active during the annual football camp, they also run activities off the pitch. Training events called "Ready for work" inform young people about the risks involved in working in professional football, and educate them about the options for carrying out other professional training at the same time as football training.

VDV also has ambitious plans for the future. Next, Ulf Baranoysky hopes to introduce a collective labor agreement system to players in contract negotiaions with professional clubs.

"This would bring numerous advantages to football," said Baranoyski. "It would allow for legal security, making the whole system more stable," he added.

After all when your dream job comes with high personal risks added employment security is always a bonus.

Author: Bartkowiak Jannike / ccp
Editor: Mark Hallam