Reported by Simon Daniel Yusuph l Journalist at Weng Global
Footballers including Nigeria international Taiwo Awoniyi and former Chelsea captain César Azpilicueta are among a growing group of players turning to education in preparation for careers away from the playing field.
The development has highlighted the increasing importance of career planning among professional footballers, with the PFA Business School providing current and former players with specialised programmes covering football management, business and sporting directorship.
Awoniyi, who plays for Premier League club Coventry City, graduated from the PFA Business School in September 2026 with a Postgraduate Diploma in Global Football Sport Directorship with Merit. Azpilicueta has also completed the same qualification through the University of Portsmouth and PFA Business School.
Their academic pursuits illustrate how some professional footballers are preparing for the next stage of their careers while still closely connected to the game.
Awoniyi Adds Football Directorship Qualification
Awoniyi’s graduation represents another step in an academic journey that has continued alongside his professional football career.
The Nigerian striker announced his completion of the PFA Business School programme in September, describing the achievement as another milestone away from football. He graduated with Merit in the Postgraduate Diploma in Global Football Sport Directorship.
The qualification is particularly relevant to Awoniyi because it focuses on the administrative, strategic and sporting responsibilities that increasingly shape modern football clubs.
Before completing the PFA programme, Awoniyi had already pursued business education. Reports from Nigerian media said he obtained a diploma in Business Administration and Marketing Management in 2020 before completing a Business Management degree at Buckinghamshire New University in 2022.
His latest qualification therefore adds football-specific management training to an academic background that already includes business studies.
Awoniyi’s decision also demonstrates that professional footballers can pursue formal education without necessarily waiting until retirement.
Azpilicueta Also Completes Sporting Directorship Diploma
Azpilicueta, a former Chelsea defender and Spain international, is another prominent football figure to have completed the PFA Business School’s Global Football Sport Directorship programme.
In a statement published on his LinkedIn profile, Azpilicueta said he was pleased to have received the postgraduate diploma with Merit through the University of Portsmouth and PFA Business School.
He explained that his playing career had made him curious about what happens beyond the pitch, including how sporting projects are developed and how decisions involving people, culture, strategy and long-term planning are made.
His comments provide an indication of why experienced players may seek qualifications in sporting administration. Professional football gives players direct experience of dressing rooms, coaches, recruitment structures and club operations, but formal study can provide additional knowledge of the management systems behind those areas.
Azpilicueta’s participation also places a high-profile former Premier League player among a wider group of football professionals preparing for possible roles in football administration.
What Is the PFA Business School?
The PFA Business School was established by the Professional Footballers’ Association as an educational initiative aimed at helping players prepare for careers during and after professional football.
According to the institution, its programmes are designed to help members acquire new skills, discover career opportunities and develop knowledge that can be applied within the football industry and beyond it.
The school offers programmes ranging from undergraduate education to postgraduate qualifications and specialist workshops.
Its current portfolio includes an MSc in Football Club Management, an MSc in Women’s Football Management, postgraduate diplomas in Global Football Business Management and Global Football Sport Directorship, as well as a BA in Football and Business Management. It also offers specialist workshops covering areas such as football finance, data analytics, player entrepreneurship and career transition.
The range of programmes reflects the increasingly diverse nature of the football industry, where career opportunities extend beyond playing and coaching.
What Does a Sporting Director Do?
The role of a sporting director has become increasingly significant in modern football.
The PFA Business School describes sporting directors as professionals who lead sporting departments, oversee football projects and contribute to the long-term sustainability of clubs.
Their responsibilities can include recruitment, scouting, player transfers, academy development, squad planning, football operations and coordination between different parts of a club.
The role also requires an understanding of financial and human resources because sporting decisions can have long-term consequences for a club’s finances and competitive direction.
The PFA’s Global Football Sport Directorship programme therefore covers specialist areas designed to give students a broader understanding of the responsibilities associated with senior football management.
The programme is delivered part-time over two academic years, combining virtual sessions with face-to-face learning at the PFA’s London venue. Successful students receive a Certificate in Global Football Sport Directorship awarded by the University of Portsmouth in collaboration with the PFA Business School.
Why Footballers Are Studying Management
For professional footballers, playing careers are relatively short compared with conventional working lives.
Injuries, retirement, selection decisions and changes in form can alter a player’s career at different stages. Education can therefore provide another pathway for players who want to remain involved in football after leaving the pitch.
The PFA Business School specifically describes its educational work as part of its commitment to helping members transition into a new stage of life after football.
The institution’s courses are also structured to accommodate people who remain active in the sport. Its Global Football Sport Directorship programme, for example, is delivered part-time, allowing participants to combine study with professional commitments.
This is particularly relevant to current players because obtaining a qualification does not necessarily require them to end their playing careers first.
Awoniyi’s graduation provides a clear example. He completed the qualification while continuing his professional career, demonstrating how education can be integrated into the life of an active footballer.
Awoniyi and the Broader Transition From Player to Football Executive
The move from playing football into administration is not new, but the increasing availability of specialised education has created a more structured route for players interested in executive positions.
The PFA Business School’s programme includes instruction on areas such as football operations, club management, scouting, recruitment, academy management, transfer planning, contracts, budgeting and communication.
Its broader Football Club Management programme similarly covers commercial management, sponsorship, ticketing, club operations, recruitment, football analytics and the management of sporting departments.
For former players, this type of education can complement practical experience gained during their playing careers.
However, completing a qualification does not automatically mean that a player will become a sporting director. The diploma provides education and training; future employment depends on individual career choices, experience, opportunities and the requirements of particular clubs or organisations.
A Growing List of Former Players in Football Education
Awoniyi and Azpilicueta are not isolated examples.
The PFA Business School has attracted a number of current and former professionals to its programmes.
The institution’s student testimonials include former Manchester United defender Phil Jones, James Tarkowski, Steve McManaman and Jordan Henderson, among others. Their studies have covered areas including sporting directorship and global football business management.
The PFA’s first graduation ceremony, held at Emirates Stadium in London in September 2025, recognised graduates from four programmes, including Global Football Sport Directorship and Global Football Business Management.
Among the graduates were former Manchester City captain İlkay Gündoğan, Newcastle United and DR Congo forward Yoane Wissa and former England international Lucy Staniforth.
The development indicates that professional footballers are increasingly considering education as part of their wider career planning.
The Business Side of Modern Football
Football has developed into a complex global industry involving broadcasting, sponsorship, recruitment, commercial partnerships, player development, data analysis and investment.
As clubs become more sophisticated organisations, senior football positions require knowledge extending beyond what happens on the pitch.
A sporting director may be involved in decisions affecting recruitment budgets, contracts, academy pathways, coaching structures and long-term squad planning.
The PFA Business School’s curriculum reflects this complexity. Its programmes address both sporting and business functions, giving students an understanding of how different parts of a football organisation interact.
This broader knowledge can be particularly valuable to former players, who already understand football from the perspective of the dressing room and competition.
From Playing Experience to Leadership
Former players often possess practical knowledge that cannot easily be gained from a classroom alone.
They understand the demands placed on players, the relationship between footballers and coaches, the pressures of competition and the realities of professional dressing rooms.
Formal education can provide another layer of knowledge by introducing concepts involving governance, strategy, finance, recruitment and organisational leadership.
The PFA Business School says its teaching approach includes real-life scenarios, case studies and practitioners with experience across football clubs and sporting institutions.
Its faculty includes experienced figures from different parts of the football industry, with lecturers representing numerous clubs and countries.
For players considering executive careers, the combination of playing experience and formal education can provide a foundation for exploring different areas of football management.
What Awoniyi’s Qualification Means for His Future
Awoniyi’s graduation does not establish that he intends to become a sporting director or leave playing football in the near future.
His current qualification should instead be viewed as an additional professional and academic credential.
The Nigerian forward remains an active professional footballer, while his studies provide knowledge that could potentially be relevant to future work in football administration, should he choose that direction.
His academic path is also notable from a Nigerian perspective because it highlights an example of a Super Eagles player investing in education while maintaining a professional career in Europe.
For young African footballers pursuing careers overseas, the development offers a wider example of the importance of considering professional development beyond football itself.
The Wider Lesson for Professional Footballers
The careers of footballers eventually move beyond the pitch.
Some become coaches, others move into broadcasting, scouting, business, player representation, administration or community development. Others leave football altogether.
Education cannot guarantee success in any of these areas, but it can provide knowledge and qualifications that may support future career choices.
The PFA Business School has positioned its programmes around precisely this transition, giving players opportunities to develop skills that can be used within football organisations and in other professional environments.
Awoniyi’s qualification and Azpilicueta’s similar achievement therefore form part of a wider shift in which professional footballers are preparing for the period when their playing careers eventually change.
What Happens Next?
For Awoniyi and Azpilicueta, the completion of the qualification marks the end of an academic programme rather than the beginning of confirmed careers as sporting directors.
Both players have gained formal training in an area of football management that continues to develop as clubs place greater emphasis on long-term sporting strategy, recruitment, player development and organisational planning.
Whether either player eventually takes up an executive position remains a matter for the future.
For now, their achievements demonstrate that professional football and formal education can run alongside each other, with players using their years in the game to build knowledge that may remain valuable long after their playing careers have ended.
The development also reflects a broader evolution in football: the modern professional player is increasingly being encouraged to think not only about the next match, but also about the career that follows it.
Weng Global – stories beyond borders
Sources
- PFA Business School
- Professional Footballers’ Association
- University of Portsmouth
- Punch
- Premium Times
- TheCable
