Only one in three professional athletes are focused on the business side of their careers, according to Changing the Game Plan, a report published by US accountancy firm and family office Rothstein Kass.

A number of private banks, such as Coutts, have set up specialist financial advisor teams to target sportsmen and women as well as entertainers as a distinct category of potential client in recent years. Sportsmen and women such as athletes, motor racing drivers and footballers have relatively short earning periods compared with people in most walks of life. 

Participating athletes had a minimum net worth of $5 million, including salaries, bonuses, winnings, endorsements and other sources. Two-thirds of survey subjects were under 30. Among notable findings were that 90 per cent of athletes over 30 are presently thinking about what to do next, versus fewer than 30 percent of younger athletes.

Nearly 78 per cent believe they have been taken advantage of by friends and family and 72 per cent that they have been exploited by advisors.

Over one third of professional athletes have experienced problems with drugs or alcohol, with nearly half reporting that they have had emotional issues.