“It’s almost impossible to pursue professional sports forever. You don’t want the end your career to come around and not know what you want to do next.” – Malcolm Delpeche

Life after sport is a tough subject for many sporting professionals, after devoting most, if not all of their time to the sport they love, the question of what comes next is a daunting one.

Bristol Sport is aware of the challenges that many players face when transitioning from the world of professional sport to the world of the 9 to 5, and aim to support their players where possible. Xledger, as the Official Finance Solutions Provider and partner of Bristol Sport, have strived to support Bristol’s sporting community in whatever ways possible, from sponsoring individuals like England International and Bristol Bears Womens player Amber Reed, to our continued support of the Bristol Bears Rugby Academy and over the last few years, the internship opportunities we provide to some of Bristol Sport’s professional players.

In the summer of 2022, Xledger welcomed our third intern from Bristol Sport, Flyers Basketball star Malcolm Delpeche. Malcolm, who is currently completing a Master’s degree in Marketing, took the opportunity to intern for the Xledger marketing team during the summer break between the 21/22 and 22/23 basketball season.

The goal, as with any internship, was to support Malcolm’s education by involving him in as many areas of marketing as possible. Over two months he was shown, among other things, how to conduct proper research on competitors within an industry, perform an Audit on the performance on a firm’s website traffic, track consumer traffic on a webpage, offer provide insight into areas of improvement, and supporting the day-to-day functions of a marketing department.

The importance of hands-on education is something that both Xledger and Malcolm wholeheartedly believe in. When asked why he chose to take the internship Malcolm stated, “You can read as much as you want in a book, but applying your knowledge to the work place is something totally different and Xledger facilitated this experience.” Practical experience is invaluable to those leaving professional sporting careers; it’s an opportunity to see in what areas of business their unique skill set thrives.

Xledger hopes to continue welcoming interns from sporting backgrounds as part of our ongoing partnership with Bristol Sport.

Watch Malcolm further discuss the importance of preparing for life after sport below: