Gareth Hardy: Life Beyond The Game
Former professional rugby player Gareth Hardy navigated a journey that reflected not only sporting excellence but also a commitment to personal growth and preparation for life beyond the game. His story is one of preparation and utilising RUPA’s support structures throughout his professional and post-rugby life.
Journey to Professional Rugby
Hardy’s introduction to the game came through friendships forged in early childhood, setting the foundation for a long-term connection to rugby.
“I was lucky enough to be introduced to the game by my friends from primary school, my father was English and thus Soccer was the first winter sport I was introduced too, it became quite obvious my physique was better suited to rugby. I played my first Rugby game at 10 years old for Holy family, subsequently went on to play for Lindfield and Gordon rep sides.”
A significant turning point came when Hardy attended the prestigious St Joseph’s College — a school with a rich rugby heritage.
“In terms of pivotal moment, attending St Josephs' college was a pretty good start to my journey to becoming a professional rugby (although there was no such as professional rugby when I first went to Joeys), the school obviously had a well-known legacy for producing rugby players. Being a part of the environment was a very good base line to form the right attributes of becoming successful in the sport.”
Following his school years, Hardy’s involvement with Sydney University Rugby Club became instrumental in shaping his dual-pathway approach to both sport and academics.
“The next major milestone that was integral (and key) was playing for Sydney University post school, in more ways than one, the club supported both Rugby and academic purists, which was ideal in being best prepared for whatever opportunity arose.”
The Role of RUPA in Shaping Life Beyond Rugby
Throughout his professional career with the Waratahs (2000–2005) and Western Force (2006–2009), Hardy utilised RUPA and his Player Development Managers to strengthen his off-field pursuits and development.
“I was very lucky to be guided by RUPA's Player Development Managers, at the respective teams I played for in furthering my personal development in preparation for life after Rugby. Fortunately, I had already completed a Bachelor of Applied Science. The development managers helped me work out what type of further education I needed to do, by investigating what I wanted to do post rugby.”
RUPA’s support mechanisms enabled Hardy to explore various industries through practical work experience with sponsors.
“This involved doing work experience with some of our sponsors, at the time HSBC sponsored the Waratahs and thus I did work experience with them once a week for a day, I did this across multiple different sponsors. This helped me better understand what I wanted to do and which industry, in doing so it also allowed me, alongside my PDM, to decide what further education I needed to do.”
That exploration culminated in further studies that directly influenced his entrepreneurial success.
“This involved doing an MBA, alongside a Diploma in Managing People and Change Management. Subsequently, my MBA thesis was the basis of the business plan for the business I would start in the UK, which is still running today.”
Advice to Current Players: Be Proactive
Hardy believes today’s players are well-positioned to prepare early for life beyond professional sport, but emphasizes the importance of utilizing the resources available.
“As alluded above, I would look to work with the resources at the fingertips of RUPA, your current team and Rugby Australia. The process above was not easy and took some time to enable me to best understand what I wanted to do. The professional rugby environment is ideal for going on this type of journey, there is time to investigate the various networks available.”
For Hardy, RUPA’s support extended beyond advice, including tangible funding for his further education.
“In short, the resource RUPA provided me both in terms of advice in helping me define what I would like to do, and also help fund my educational needs was the key element of my preparation for post Rugby". Funded MBA from Melbourne university Diploma in Change management from Sydney University Diploma in Managing people from Sydney University”
Facing the Transition
Even with extensive planning, Hardy acknowledges that transitioning from professional sport is never without its challenges.
“I think the biggest challenge is acknowledging that there will be a challenge post Rugby, the best way to deal with these challenges is to be proactive while playing as stated above. Being a professional player can become very comfortable, you regardless of how well prepared you are it will be a challenge, don't be afraid to continually ask for help from the Rugby network, the sport is based on the unspoken word of supporting each other, this is something I still do today in my work life.”
