Team player: Matt Dawson as England scrum-half in 2005
Matt Dawson, 51, was part of England’s Rugby World Cup-winning team in 2003 and also made his mark with the British & Irish Lions, writes Dan Moore.
He rose to prominence as a scrum half for the Northampton Saints and Wasps, winning the Premiership in his first season at the London club.
Before retiring in 2006, Matt had embarked on a media career, being a team captain on the hit BBC show A Question Of Sport, and a regular contributor to BBC Five Live’s rugby coverage.
He is also a keen investor and runs Lemon and Lime Associates, a business development consultancy.
Matt lives in South West London with his partner Elizabeth, his two sons Alex, 12, and Sami, ten, and Elizabeth’s two daughters Isabella, 17, and Ava, 13.
What did your parents teach you about money?
When I was 14 or 15, whingeing about pocket money and wanting more for clothes and going out, my mum suggested I write down what I thought I’d need to survive. I put this to my dad, totting up what I thought I’d need for the year – clothes, going out with friends, haircuts, everything. He said if that was how I wanted to do it, he’d agree on a monthly allowance, and I’d get this and not a penny more.
It didn’t go very well. I thought I’d over-egged it, allowed for more clothes spending than I needed and so on, but I was wrong. I just had no idea what my mum and dad were actually spending on me. This taught me the importance of budgeting.
Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?
When I moved from home at 18 I was on a shoestring, renting a place with two other rugby players. I was living on tuna mayo pasta, earning £8,000 a year and driving a clapped-out Peugeot 205.
Have you ever been paid silly money?
Never silly money as I’ve always tried to pitch myself as great value. It encourages performance and remuneration in other ways, such as bonuses and equity.
What was your career highlight?
Being part of the 2003 World Cup-winning squad. I’ve been lucky to be part of some brilliant sides over the years – England, Lions, Wasps and Northampton – but nothing could usurp that. We all realised it would change our lives. I was already doing a little media work, and was always interested in the corporate side of rugby, the sponsorship and companies around the sport but the World Cup moved things to a new level.
What was the best year of your financial life?
It was 2021, coming out of lockdown, when I had a good social media presence and there was an appetite for advertising, so there were media and corporate opportunities. But it was my role as a business development consultant that took off.
What was your biggest money mistake?
Buying a holiday home in Spain and plot of land in South Africa. I just didn’t feel I had control over it. I was advised not to do it and invest in other areas, but my ego took over about having property abroad. Now I prefer investing in our six-bedroom, 1930s house in South West London.
Drive: The rugby star is golf-mad
What would you have done if rugby hadn’t worked out?
Rugby wasn’t a plan A, B or any letter of the alphabet. It wasn’t something you’d earn any money from. I was a security guard, I sold advertising for a newspaper in Milton Keynes. I then got a job as a PE teacher, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I’d probably be a teacher if things had panned out differently. But thanks to Sue Barker, Phil Tufnell and the team on BBC’s A Question Of Sport, we ran with it for 15 years, giving me another career besides rugby. I was also building a corporate career that I wanted to see me through to retirement.
Do you have a pension?
I’m locked and loaded when it comes to pensions, Isas and tax-efficient investments. I have a fantastic financial adviser, whom I’ve known since I was 17. I have a solid investment portfolio, high yield but steady. I’m also an angel investor. It’s a higher risk, but I enjoy seeing young firms come through. Plus I’m a shareholder in some businesses I work for.
What is your top indulgence?
I’ll lay good money that a high percentage of my excess yearly spend is on golf – memberships, holidays, kit, lessons, you name it. It’s definitely my vice.
What is your top financial priority?
I’m lucky in that the family is happy. We like going out for dinner and going on holidays, but we’re not extravagant. I’d say my goal is to maintain the standard of living we have achieved over the past five years. If I can get to 70 and still be able to look after the kids, have some holidays and play golf, I’ll be a happy soul.
- Matt Dawson is an ambassador for Sodexo (mindful.sodexo.com/uk), which seeks to raise awareness of health and wellbeing issues.
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