Home Me Mortgages is training former players to advise their peers and build client trust from within
When professional footballers need a mortgage, they rarely go online. They ask each other who to trust. For Gaurav Shukla, director of Home Me Mortgages, that presented an opportunity: what if the advice didn’t just come from someone recommended, but from someone who had lived the same career?
"None of them search online for financial advice," Shukla said. "It's all, 'Which adviser did you use?' That's how the referrals happen."
Closing the trust gap from inside the industry
Shukla’s firm is now actively recruiting and training ex-footballers to become mortgage advisers, creating a pathway that keeps players close to the sport while supporting their peers. It’s an approach that has resonated with current professionals, particularly in the lower leagues, where financial literacy varies and career lengths can be short.
"They already understand the schedule. They already know the audience," said Shukla. "It's not a massive change from training twice a day - they can still keep a routine, work remotely, and stay connected to the sport."
This player-to-player advice model, he explained, helps footballers receive guidance from someone who speaks their language and understands their challenges. "They're not giving advice as outsiders; they're speaking to their peers. It's a way of staying involved in the game without going into coaching or media."
A natural extension of the client base
The idea grew organically out of the firm’s work with footballers, many of whom needed tailored mortgage support due to irregular income, short-term contracts, or poor credit histories.
"The main issue [footballers have] is their contracts and how much they get paid," Shukla said. "Quite a few [players] have credit issues too, especially in the Championship and League One. They move around a lot, rent frequently, and forget to cancel bills. That leads to problems they don't always realise they have."
Initial partnerships with clubs like Maidenhead United and Wycombe Wanderers helped the firm gain a foothold in the football community. Over time, word-of-mouth brought more players into the fold and revealed a deeper opportunity.
"When we spoke to players directly, they were paying more attention to life after football," said Shukla. "Some were interested in accountancy or financial planning. For those drawn to mortgages, we showed them the industry and let them decide."
Client service built around the game
Working with footballers requires brokers to adapt their approach. Communication happens mostly via WhatsApp, often late at night, and cases move slowly due to training schedules and limited downtime.
"Footballers don't really like phone calls or emails," Shukla said. "Most of the communication happens through WhatsApp - voice notes mostly. It's a longer process, but that's how they prefer it."
Understanding these rhythms is a natural advantage for ex-players entering the industry.
"They know how [other players] operate. They know what time they're available. It's not a shock to their system," he said.
While the transition from sport to finance might seem unlikely from the outside, for Shukla and his team, it reflects a simple truth: footballers trust people who understand them.
"It's a small world, and once you're in, you have to get it right," he said. "One mistake and you're out. But if you get it right, and you're still there a week, two weeks, or a year later, that's how you earn trust. And that's what footballers value most."
