PURSE AIMS FOR ASCENT BOTH ON THE PITCH, AND IN THE SKY

As he sits back, fresh from an autumn morning’s training, Darren Purse discusses what his plans are for life after football and stares expectantly into the skies. Ironically, those skies are void of clouds, and represent perfect conditions for a mid-morning flight – something the Sheffield Wednesday captain may be doing on a regular basis when he eventually hangs up his boots.

“It’s a career that I would like to go into, obviously when I’m finished playing football” says the 33-year old.

Retirement plans will no doubt come into the minds of most thirty-something players from time to time. It is therefore a refreshing change to see somebody who has a passion away from the game, instead of wondering what to do with himself after he trudges off the field for the final time.

He describes an off-chance trip with a former team-mate, as the moment his desire for helicopter piloting stemmed: “My old friend at Cardiff, Ricardo Scimeca, took me along one day to Coventry airport to have a look at helicopters, because he was the one that was into all that. We had a go in one and I really enjoyed it and it’s just gone on from there really.”

It seems what was once a hobby has now grown into a real future career prospect for the much-travelled centre-half, although he is finding it increasingly harder to fit in the sessions nowadays: “Living up in Sheffield, it’s a lot harder (to find time). Obviously when I was living in the Midlands, Coventry airport was there and I’d go and fly on an afternoon, whereas now, especially when you’re coming to the latter stages of it, it takes a full day out of your life just to do two hours flying.

A lot of it now is navigation stuff, and paperwork and you’ve also got to check the helicopter overnight aswell so it does take a lot of time to do. This is why I’ve put it to the back of my mind for the time being until I’ve finished my coaching badges and then I’ll take it back up again.”

Purse, who has played top-flight football in his career with Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, refuses to rule out becoming a manager, although he does see the need to keep his options open: “I’m hoping my “A” licence will be done by next June (2011), and then that’s those done really. There’s only one other licence I can take and that’s the Pro Licence and you can’t really take that up until you’re a manager anyway.

But once I get the A licence done, I can then manage anywhere I want, up to the Premier League even. Obviously it’s a natural step from being footballer to become a coach, but there are a lot of managers out of work at the moment, so you’ve got to open up other avenues, and that’s where the helicopter thing came up.”

It seems Purse will not be stuck for options to choose from, when it comes to hanging up his boots. A route down the helicopter path seems likely, although with a coaching career in the back of his mind, he refuses to set to his heart on one route: “I’ve every intention of when I’ve finished playing football, of maybe taking a year out to get my PPL (private pilot’s licence) and then to do a crash course, which takes another year before you get your commercial licence. And that’s something I would be interested in doing. Once you’ve got that you can then fly people about and obviously do what you want to do.”

It seems that that is the goal for the Owls skipper, in the long term. However, for the time being, the Londoner is firmly focused on his football. He takes his responsibilities as Wednesday captain seriously not only on the pitch, but also off it. He is the club’s ambassador for their partnership with the Children’s Hospital of Sheffield, who are sponsors for the Owls home and away kits.

Part of being ambassador means visiting the hospital on a regular basis, which the defender sees as hugely worthwhile: “It’s amazing when you go up there and hear that a kid’s had a smile on their face for a week, just because I’ve been up there and spent 20 or 30 minutes with them. That’s something that I really enjoy doing, and to put a smile on their face is the most important thing.”

To say Purse’s schedule is hectic would be an understatement. Aswell as being a full-time professional footballer, doing his badges and training for the PPL, he also has three children to cater for.

Purse, who joined Wednesday in the summer of 2009, says he enjoys watching his son play football aswell as help mucking out the stables with his horse-mad daughter. He also tries to find time to fit in other hobbies: “I like a game of golf and I’ve got a greyhound which runs, which I enjoy watching. I don’t really get much time to sit down. When you’ve got three kids you’ve got to be (active). And you’ve got to share your time equally between the three of them.”

As the attention switches back to football, Purse acknowledges the desire to propel the Owls to promotion this season: “With the players we’ve got, we should be in the top two in the division. If we finish outside the play-offs, it’s been a horrible season. To get promoted, we need to do the hard work now.”

And with that parting, passionate comment, the stocky skipper gives a firm handshake and departs. There is no doubting that for the time being, Purse’s mind is firmly set on guiding the Owls to ascension from League One.

While a career in helicopters remains a possibility in the future, for now, Purse is more than content to navigate Wednesday to promotion at the first time of asking.