From Awoniyi to Azpilicueta: Footballers studying to become sporting directors

Professional footballers are increasingly looking beyond the pitch, with current and former players turning to education to prepare for careers in football management, coaching and sporting direction.

That was evident at the 2026 graduation ceremony of the PFA Business School, held at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, where a group of footballers and former players celebrated completing qualifications alongside their playing careers.

As reported by BBC Sport on Wednesday, among the graduates were Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Coventry City striker Taiwo Awoniyi. At the same time, former Chelsea and Spain captain César Azpilicueta was also present.

Dewsbury-Hall, 28, travelled from Merseyside to London for the ceremony after completing a postgraduate diploma in global football sport directorship.

The former Leicester City and Chelsea midfielder said he wanted to continue learning while he still had plenty of years left in his playing career.

“As a person, I’m always trying to learn and develop away from the pitch,” Dewsbury-Hall told BBC Sport. “I don’t want to stop playing and then just sit around doing nothing.”

He added that completing the qualification now could prove useful if an opportunity arises after his playing career.

For Awoniyi, education has been a commitment since childhood in Nigeria.

The Coventry striker already holds a degree in business management and another diploma, making the PFA qualification his third academic achievement.

Awoniyi said his father, Solomon, placed a strong emphasis on education and made it clear that football should not come at the expense of his studies.

“I always felt education was important,” Awoniyi said. “It was a promise I made to my dad that if I played football, I would keep studying. That’s what I have done, and I am proud of it.”

The 29-year-old’s football journey has taken him from the Imperial Soccer Academy in Nigeria to Liverpool and then into German football with Union Berlin before establishing himself in the Premier League.

His approach to education has remained consistent despite the demands of professional football.

Awoniyi believes footballers have opportunities to study because their working lives do not necessarily follow the traditional nine-to-five routine.

“Yes, football is our passion, but we are normal human beings as well, and maybe that’s something the world doesn’t always see,” he said.

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Azpilicueta is another example of a player who continued his education while building a distinguished career on the pitch.

The former Spain international studied before turning professional with Osasuna at 17. He later returned to education during his nine-year spell at Chelsea, completing an MBA at Harvard University.

His commitment to studying even extended to the day of Chelsea’s 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City.

With the final taking place later that day in Porto, Azpilicueta said studying helped distract him from the pressure surrounding the biggest match of his club career. Chelsea went on to win 1-0, with Azpilicueta lifting the trophy as captain.

“Having my studies also helped me focus and improve myself away from football,” he said.

Now retired from playing after spells with Atlético Madrid and Sevilla, Azpilicueta believes education has value beyond preparing for retirement.

“It’s not only about preparing for life after football,” he said. “It’s about becoming a better version of yourself in your football career as well.”

The PFA Business School programme is designed to allow players to study alongside their professional commitments. Seminars are scheduled to minimise clashes with training and matches, while students can complete work in their own time.

Dewsbury-Hall said he has even received some curious looks while studying on his iPad during journeys home from away matches.

For former Bournemouth captain Steve Cook, the programme represented a return to formal education after his school years. Having already earned coaching qualifications, Cook is now approaching the latter stages of his playing career.

The graduates have different ambitions and different reasons for studying, but the qualification could open doors to a range of roles within football.

Some may eventually become coaches, executives or sporting directors, while others may simply use the knowledge gained to develop themselves during their playing careers.

For players such as Awoniyi, Dewsbury-Hall and Azpilicueta, however, the message is clear: a career in football does not have to stop at the final whistle.