Sport and entrepreneurship are two very interesting areas for me. Mixing the two has certainly brought me success. Sport has always motivated me to work hard. Ever since I started playing football as a kid I’ve always aspired to become successful and be able to support my family financially.

Sport is a vehicle for breaking down barriers and influencing people’s behaviour both positively and negatively, but something I believe is often overlooked is the way sport acts as a field to develop communication and thought management – key aspects which anyone interested in running a successful business should consider.

When I was released from my club at 19 my dreams were crushed, but because I’d been around football for so long, and mixed with professionals in various sporting fields, I’d developed the ability to build relationships and communicate effectively at a young age.

One year later and I’m one of Yorkshire’s Top Young Entrepreneurs and an Enterprise UK ambassador. I launched the Gérard School of Football which is Britain’s only specialist football development centre and currently regarded as the North of England’s premier football school.

My role as an Enterprise UK ambassador sees me use my story of adversity and success to inspire others to aim high and reach their goals. Had I not been involved in sport from such an early age, I wouldn’t have developed the ability to maximise my enthusiasm and learn how to sell myself. 

I’m not saying everyone needs to learn their business skills through sport, but I do think it can teach you some valuable lessons which you can then use to start and run a successful business – qualities like good communication skills, the ability to build relationships and a healthy dose of competiveness and resolve when things aren’t going your way.

Take any professional athlete in the world and you will find these attributes in high abundance. Compare them to those who are really successful in business and life and you will find they are the same.

Gérard Jones is the founder and director of specialist football development centre, the Gérard School of Football