In Japan, many large companies own sports teams that may include both professional and amateur athletes. Corporate-backed teams like these are aimed at strengthening ties between employees and the community, boosting brand value, and enhancing corporate image through sports.

However, most athletes retire from competition in their 20s or 30s, forcing them to move on to the next stage of their lives. Years in which major international competitions are held serve as a milestone, giving athletes something to strive toward. Therefore, it is not uncommon for athletes to make the decision to retire at that point.

Athletes retiring from company teams who choose to stay with their company following retirement face the arduous task of transitioning to a job in which they have no experience. However, the NEC Group excels at providing athletes seeking to start new careers with opportunities to do just that. Here we will highlight some of the paths for a second career that NEC is able to offer to former athletes.

Former athletes engage in a wide range of occupations after stepping off the field

Athletes who retire from one of NEC's corporate teams go on to work in fields ranging anywhere from sales to marketing. Most former athletes currently working for NEC hail from the women's volleyball team, the NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki, or the men's rugby team, the NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu. Both teams employ athletes as employees while also retaining professional athletes on their rosters.

Of the athletes who retire from either team, more than 90% remain with the company as an employee and move on to their next career. The NEC Group welcomes these athletes as part of its support for diverse talent and people who are willing to take on new challenges.

So what kind of career paths do these former athletes choose?

A new recruit who was once the core member of NEC's rugby team: Daring to venture into the realm of sales

In May of this year, Yoshiya Hosoda retired from rugby at the age of 36 and started his next phase of life. Hosoda was a core member of the Green Rockets who joined the team in 2011 and played for 13 seasons. He is now making his way as a rookie in the sales department at NEC and says, "I have given everything I have to rugby."

Athletes playing for the Green Rockets spend a few days a week doing "office work," meaning that they work in an office alongside employees who are not athletes. To determine where to assign athletes once they retire, NEC asks them what they would like to do. Hosoda wanted to expand his future options and therefore chose to venture into sales, which was a daring move since he opted for something different than the "office work" he experienced during his athlete days.

While he often finds himself being taught the ropes by younger employees, Hosoda doesn't mind, saying, "Rugby is a sport that brings together people from different generations and races, so age differences don't bother me." In his new workplace, he will be able to demonstrate the perseverance he developed as an athlete. Hosoda also told us enthusiastically, "My first priority is to get to the point where I can contribute to the organization."

Hosoda received multiple offers from teams but ultimately chose the Green Rockets because of his impression of NEC employees. When he started thinking about retirement, the team and the company created opportunities for him to speak with employees in the line of work he was interested in doing, and he eventually decided on a career in sales thanks to the guidance of others. When asked what he would like to say to active players, Hosoda said, "I feel fortunate to have had the chance to compete as an employee. I was able to move on to the next stage of my life without having any regrets. I encourage others to give their sport all they've got before moving on."

For the advancement of corporate sports—Retiring, resigning from NEC, studying abroad, and rejoining NEC

An employee who left NEC, eventually returning to continue rising to new challenges by leveraging what she learned while away.

Rie Okada, who is now in charge of team management and marketing for the NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki, was a member of the team from 1998 to 2001. She retired at the age of 22. Reflecting on that time of her life she says, "I initially chose to stay with NEC, and the way my colleagues trained me to do my job from the ground up showed me the warm-hearted nature of the people at this company."

It was the frustration of witnessing the closure of the NEC Blue Rockets—the men's volleyball team—around 2009 and knowing that this decision was influenced by the company's management that inspired her to get involved in sports management. After retiring from NEC, Okada went to the U.S. to study sports management in her 30s. Upon her return to Japan, Okada joined the Japan Sport Council before eventually returning to NEC.

Okada noticed something when she returned to NEC. Whereas the only impression she once had of NEC was of it being a warm-hearted workplace, she could now see that it had become a company that embraces change. There were a growing number of employees, including herself, who came from diverse career backgrounds. Amidst calls for corporate sports teams to become independent, self-managed businesses, Okada says, "I realized that I wanted to pursue the advancement of corporate sports management, which no one had succeeded in yet."

As someone with experience on the management and athlete sides, Okada also serves as a liaison between the two. Asked what advice she would give to active players today, Okada said, "You should broaden your horizons by talking to all kinds of people, including athletes involved in other sports and fellow employees." She says this because she feels her diverse experience helped expand her horizons.

As a company with its own sports teams, NEC continues to support athletes as they begin the next phase of their lives. Behind this is the NEC Group's commitment to supporting those who seek challenges and diverse career pathways. Our support of athletes embarking on their second career can also be viewed as another way NEC is working toward fulfilling its Purpose of "creating the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential."

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