Motivation | Career changer
Kicking off a finance career
Professional footballer Reece Styche reveals how studying for AAT gave him focus as he recovered from injury – and why the right mindset and hard work can enable you to achieve your goals
Words Marianne Curphey
AT A GLANCE
1
Hard work gets results
If you really want something, be prepared to commit to it fully
2
Be consistent
Small regular wins will add up to great results
3
A positive mindset
Cultivate a positive mindset to help you stay on track in tough times
Reece Styche never set out to be a professional footballer. In fact, he originally had his heart set on being a plumber and left school at 16. Yet 27 years after playing his first Sunday league match as an eight-year-old, he has represented his country while working as finance manager at Safety Technology International.
“I got into football young,” he explains. “My best mate at school was playing for a local Sunday league team and his grandad asked my dad if I wanted to join. I went along and things just clicked. I played well, really well.”
Styche progressed through the youth system at Hednesford Town, moved to Chasetown when he was 20 and made his debut at Forest Green Rovers in January 2010, scoring two goals after coming on as a substitute. He was approached by Stevenage but had to turn them down to complete his apprenticeship. In November 2010, having qualified as a plumber, he then went full-time with Forest Green.
“That was it. I was living the dream, playing full-time football from the age of 20 until I was about 28,” he says. “But football isn’t always smooth sailing. At Forest Green, I had some really tough injuries – cartilage damage in one knee, then an ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] tear in the other.
“That was when I started looking at other options. I was spending my mornings in rehab and my afternoons were empty. I needed something productive to do and that’s when I started AAT Level 2 and 3.”
His self-funded AAT studies helped him stay positive and focused between 2011 and 2013. It was a tough time. His nan, who had been a bookkeeper and an inspiration to Styche, suffered a stroke. He was also recovering from his nine-month cruciate injury.
“I didn’t fancy spending winters on construction sites… Plumbing wasn’t the answer but finance was.”
“Mentally, I was drained,” he says. “But I committed to two hours of study a day, ticking each session off like a small victory. Rehab was painful but if I completed it, it was a win. If I studied for two hours, it was another win. That mindset kept me going.”
His AAT studies were book-based, with tutor support, but he had incredible backing from Nick Craggs of First Intuition, who gave him help and advice via Facebook, marked mock exams and encouraged him.
Study inspiration
The drive to complete his AAT training came after Styche reconsidered his options as a plumber.
“I knew I didn’t want to go back into plumbing after football,” he says. “I didn’t fancy spending winters on construction sites, working on massive, freezing cold buildings with no windows in January.
“But full-time football is relentless, too. If you’re not at the very top of the game, every year you’re playing for a new contract, constantly proving yourself to secure a future for your family. I wanted stability. I wanted something solid to fall back on. Plumbing wasn’t the answer but finance was.
“When I was at Forest Green, I’d go straight back to the digs after training and spend two hours working on my AAT studies in the kitchen. It wasn’t always easy – sometimes the lads would head out for food while I was stuck in my books – but I kept at it. I finished AAT Level 3 and landed my first finance job at the company where I now work as a finance manager.”
Netting dual roles
Styche got his first accountancy job at Safety Technology International, where he started seven years ago as an accounts assistant and has since worked his way up. Now 35, he has combined his AAT and CIMA studies with playing part-time football.
“I stepped away from full-time football at 28,” he says. “We’d just had our second child and my wife was doing most of the parenting on her own while I was away. It didn’t feel right. My plan had been to train as an accountant so I’d have a second income when my football wages dropped, but the reality has been even better – my work wages have gone up and my football money has stayed at a level where I can keep playing part-time while supporting my AAT training.
“It was my first accountancy job and I am still here seven years later because the workplace culture and values are so aligned to my own. They gave me the opportunity to progress and really supported me in my journey.”
After completing AAT Level 4, he started studying for CIMA but, in 2018, he got called up again to play for Gibraltar’s national team having made his debut four years earlier.
“It was an incredible moment for me, made possible because of my nan’s heritage,” he says. In November 2019, Styche scored his first international goal against Switzerland.
“Scoring that goal changed everything. There was a time in football when I was constantly on the bench and I thought about quitting,” he says. “Instead, I committed to relentless work – training, gym, nutrition. I got myself in the best shape possible and football has been, since leaving full-time, really rewarding. That wasn’t luck, that was preparation meeting opportunity. I was with Gibraltar between 2018 and 2023 and had a really successful run with them.
“It’s the same with accountancy. If you have the right mindset and put in the work, you can achieve anything.”
TOP TIPS
Reece’s tips for success in football and accountancy
1
Hard work gets results. The best part of my career change is knowing that I made a scary decision – to step away from full-time football – and succeeded through sheer effort and determination. That’s something I’m proud of.
2
Once I retire from football, I’ll finish my CIMA qualification. I want my kids to see that you can transition between careers and be successful if you’re willing to work for it.
3
The AAT qualification gives you such a good grounding and understanding of the principles that once you start work it helps get a grasp of the fundamentals of accounting.
The Association of Accounting Technicians. 30 Churchill Place, London E14 5RE. Registered charity no.1050724. A company limited by guarantee (No. 1518983).
