I’ve played in the Highland League for over 10 years and from my experience of the football transfer system I find the concept of an oil and gas employee loan scheme really appealing.
What immediately struck me was the obvious parallels and that’s the annoying thing about obvious parallels – they often need someone else to point them out!
To use the football terminology, it is so much better to be “on loan”, gaining some “game time” than sitting “on the bench”.
Reports on the employee scheme highlighted its potential importance for retaining skills and knowledge locally, but I believe it will also make an incredible difference to the morale and motivation of people who are under the shadow of redundancy or are under-utilised in their current position.
To maximise its effectiveness the employee loan scheme will have to be flexible and responsive, perhaps even providing an “emergency loan” service for sickness or maternity cover too.
While “on loan”, players are very motivated. They want to prove to their parent club that they can deliver while creating a great impression on new team mates, enhancing their personal and professional credibility.
This motivation is further enhanced by potentially learning from a different club culture, developing their technique and associated tactical knowledge and being able to share their individual expertise whilst further enhancing the skills set of the entire squad.
But attitude and effective communication will be critical for the scheme to work. The transferred player has to add value and want to be part of a new team. If the player doesn’t get the playing time they expected or the team doesn’t get the skills it needs then the free transfer actually comes at a cost in the long run.
Cammy Keith is a business manager at Thorpe Molloy Recruitment and currently plays for Highland League side Keith FC