Former Hearts midfielder Sean McKirdy reveals why he stopped playing football and spent all of his life savings

In four years, Sean McKirdy has gone from professional footballer at Hearts to being out of the game completely. He has also spent all £35,000 of his life savings.
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It initially sounds like the old slippery slope, but fear not. It’s quite the opposite. The 22-year-old recently stepped back from playing at Lowland League club Kelty Hearts to open his own gym in Edinburgh because he is driven to avoid that proverbial slope.

He has watched friends drift out of the game into mundane and unfulfilling jobs. Others aren’t that lucky as they shuffle in the dole queue. McKirdy’s ambition is commendable: To build himself a proper future.

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He made six appearances for Hearts between 2014 and 2016 before spells at Hamilton Academical, Berwick Rangers, Selkirk, Gala Fairydean Rovers and Kelty.

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Sean McKirdy in action for Hearts.14/07/15 PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY
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Sean McKirdy in action for Hearts.
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The insecurity of short-term contracts brought the midfielder stress he didn’t need. He admits to immersing himself too deeply in his chosen profession, but next week his new dream becomes reality.

A fully-qualified personal trainer, McKirdy opens the Elevate98 Gymnasium on Marionville Road for the first time on Tuesday. He spent every penny of his own cash and even borrowed extra from family to bring a long-term project to fruition.

“As soon as I stopped playing professionally at Hamilton in 2017, I realised football wasn’t the most long-term and secure career,” he told the Evening News. “I found it very hard at that age to constantly be thinking: ‘It’s only six months till I’m out of contract and don’t have a club.’

‘I took it far too seriously’

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Sean McKirdy in action for Gala Fairydean27/10/18 GEOSONIC LOWLAND LEAGUE
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Sean McKirdy in action for Gala Fairydean
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"I’m probably different to a lot of players. My problem is I took it far too seriously. That’s perhaps a very uncommon thing for young Scottish footballers. Their problem is probably getting into other things – going up town, drink, girls, whatever.

"I was the complete opposite. I could never switch off. I decided to go part-time but I always took gymwork seriously. I fell into love with coaching people and doing the gym myself.

"I made a conscious decision to step a bit lower in football than I could have to let my fitness work run alongside it. I was employed as a personal trainer, then I went self-employed.

"During lockdown, my business kicked on to another level. I think people appreciated I didn’t leave them in the lurch, even though they maybe weren't paying me the same as before.

Sean McKirdy in action for Hearts against Partick Thistle at Tynecastle on August 22, 2015.Sean McKirdy in action for Hearts against Partick Thistle at Tynecastle on August 22, 2015.
Sean McKirdy in action for Hearts against Partick Thistle at Tynecastle on August 22, 2015.
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"I invested a lot of my own money in attending loads of courses and visited one of the UK’s biggest private gyms in London. It really inspired me to get my own premises.”

A few failed attempts did not dissuade him. McKirdy knew what he wanted and had the grit to pursue it relentlessly. And perhaps a few knockbacks along the way served only to strengthen his resolve.

"I bid for a place in Portobello last year but it was rejected. I had a bid on a place in Peffermill rejected and it was a real kick in the teeth. Two weeks later, the first gym I ever worked at came up for sale.

"It’s my dream gym – five minutes round the corner, ten minutes from Edinburgh city centre, it’s perfect. I ended up diving in with two feet and going for it. It’s been a lot of work. We painted and decorated it ourselves, cleaned it out, fixed showers, everything. Now we’re there and it opens this Tuesday for the first time.

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Sean McKirdy in action for Hearts.14/07/15 PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY
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Sean McKirdy in action for Hearts.
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"I got a little loan of money from family but I’ve invested about £35,000 of my own money in this. It’s basically my life savings. That’s a nice deposit for a house but I’ve backed myself that I can make this work.

"It is a big risk but it’s a chance for me to do something I love. If you can live your life like that, it’s ideal. I just hope it pays me back enough to get a house.”

He doesn’t do things by halves and will again be utterly committed. He knows the risks and calculated them before making what is his first serious move in business. Covid restrictions or not, McKirdy is becoming familiar with finding a way to make things happen.

"I will be in charge of everything and I’ll be very hands-on. I’ll be running all the sessions. I’m also training someone else up to help. It will all be what I believe in.”

Football on pause

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For now, his football-playing days are on hold. McKirdy left Kelty Hearts earlier this year to focus fully on establishing his own gym and constructing a life for himself away from the game.

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Not that he has fallen out of love with the sport. He hopes to resume playing next year on a part-time basis. "I’ve taken a bit of time out of football because of this. Mentally, it was just draining trying to run a business. I was up at 5am every day and not home till 11pm at night,” he explained.

"I just found it really hard to do both the business and the football. I was starting to feel that I didn’t enjoy football and then I was resenting the PT stuff.

"Lockdown gave me a bit of a reset and I thought: ‘I can press pause on the football to focus on the gym and I’m still young enough to go back to it at a later date.’

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"Hopefully in six months I’ll have somebody trained up to run the gym for me three times a week while I get right back into the football. I’ve certainly not pulled the plug permanently on it.

"With putting all my life savings in, and being at the gym 24/7, I think it’s important to give it the best chance of succeeding. It would be dishonest to myself and to Kelty to keep playing when my head isn’t fully in it.”

At the moment his head is full of numbers, projected profit margins and business plans. The decision to step back from football is done. It’s all work, work and workouts from now on.

Visit Sean McKirdy’s gym website here: www.elevate98.co.uk

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