Arsene Wenger will head up a new degree course to help more players stay within the game after hanging up their boots.
The Professional Footballers’ Association plan is designed specifically to allow more current stars to get senior roles within football after they retire. Former Arsenal boss Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development, will be course director for the three year programme at the PFA Business School.
Current stars often take up coaching or managerial jobs but there is a big lack of ex-players in boardrooms and in senior football jobs. Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle and West Ham are among an initial group of clubs to offer their support for the course which will allow players to study while still continuing their playing careers.
It will offer coaching, the FA Talent ID & Scouting Certificate, agent qualifications and also different modules for sport finance, law and governance, and performance analysis. Wenger said: “I worked with many intelligent young footballers in my career who were more than capable of attaining academic excellence off the pitch but were constrained by the availability of suitable courses.
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“This is a huge development for this group. For the first time they will have the opportunity to combine their playing commitments with a three-year undergraduate degree, changing the perception that you cannot do the two things at once.
“The programme is not only designed to give students an understanding of the industry, but to deepen their knowledge of the game itself and the various elements that go into performance. I believe the course will help prepare players for the next steps in their lives and careers.”
Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Jones, Lucy Staniforth and Steve McManaman are just some of the current and former PFA members who are already taking part in courses ranging from Football Data Analytics to Football Psychology, Emotional Intelligence and Leadership.
PFA chief executive Maheta Molango said: “Players shouldn’t be pigeonholed or stereotyped. They often have a unique skillset and a foundation that you simply don’t get in other careers.
“The PFA Business School is designed to give players the confidence and the ability to use and adapt those skills in future roles inside and outside of football.” Tottenham defender Ben Davies, his own club’s PFA rep, is studying for a Diploma in Global Football Business Management with the PFA Business School.
He said: “The course has given me a greater understanding of how the world of football works beyond the pitch.
“It has been a great opportunity to learn and interact with some of the most successful leaders in our game. It has allowed me to meet and develop relationships with like-minded players and ex-players with the hope that we can continue working with each other.”
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