Unpaid player (7)
I believe the answer is:
amateur
'unpaid player' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for amateur that I've seen before include "lacking professional expertise" , "11 [UNTRAINED]" , "Inept, non-professional" , "Athlete who performs without payment" , "Unpaid (sportsman}" .)