You’re in your late teens or early 20s and have just signed a contract with a Premier League football club with a six-figure weekly salary. What would you buy first?
Chances are your celebratory splurge will be on one of the latest offerings from Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche. But would you be fit to drive your brand new supercar safely?
Fortunately, there’s a new driving course in the UK designed to show young footballers the ropes before they get behind the wheel.
It is the brainchild of Premier Sports Network — a private organisation that hosts a series of invite-only events for football club officials, agents and players — and luxury car dealer H.R Owen.
In a joint statement, they said: “Many young players celebrate their professional club signing with the purchase of a new car. For some, this will be their first experience of a powerful car.
“For a large majority it may well be their first car purchased since passing their test, or the first car they will drive in the UK after a transfer from overseas.”
With this in mind, the course is designed to ensure players are safe at the wheel of their new motors to not only provide peace of mind for the individual, but also the club that’s invested in their talent.
Premier Sports Network will be approaching clubs and players’ agents to offer a two-stage driver-training programme at a location convenient to the footballer.
This session will allow them to get used to the size of the car, to learn about the car’s functions, and understand how it responds and reacts to driver input.
Once this has been completed, the players will be taken to a private test track to learn how the car responds at speed, how to brake and corner safely and how to react in an emergency situation.
Sharon Wright, H.R. Owen’s special projects director, said: “As a leading provider of the fastest cars available, we noticed that many young sports professionals are in a position to buy some of the most powerful cars on sale today.
“We felt we had a duty of care to ensure these buyers were trained to the highest level before taking delivery of their vehicles, in the hope that we will see fewer incidents occurring on the roads as a result.
“Working with the Premier Sports Network we can reach players directly through their agents and clubs.”
The sessions provided by the dealer will focus on five key areas: team sessions, individual coaching, off-road masterclass, dynamic handling masterclass and a safety-focused session to help develop driver skills.
The course is free if the player intends to buy a car from the luxury London-based dealer.
Spencer Hidge, Premier Sports Network founder, added: “To offer their clubs the peace of mind that their latest signing will be safe on the roads when they leave the training ground in the latest supercar is of extreme importance and we are pleased to welcome them [H.R Owen] to the network.”
— Daily Mail