Premier League players graduate from PFA Business School at Emirates Stadium
Steve Cook and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were among Premier League footballers who graduated from the PFA Business School at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium on 30 September 2026. The 2026 cohort also included Coventry City striker Taiwo Awoniyi and a number of current and former players who have won major honours in Europe and around the world.
The ceremony, staged in caps and gowns that organisers likened to an Oxbridge graduation, formed part of the PFA Business School programme designed to run alongside playing careers. Cesar Azpilicueta addressed the group, recounting how studying on the morning of the 2021 Champions League final helped take his mind off the occasion before he captained Chelsea to a 1-0 win over Manchester City in Porto, and organisers said seminars are scheduled to minimise clashes with matches and training.
Dewsbury-Hall, 28, travelled by train from Merseyside to attend and had completed a postgraduate diploma in global football sport directorship; "I hope I've got a long time left in football. But as a person, I'm always trying to learn and develop away from the pitch. I don't want to stop playing and then just sit around doing nothing," he told BBC Sport. At the event he sought out former Everton midfielder Tim Cahill to discuss the art of scoring.
Taiwo Awoniyi, 29, who joined Coventry from Nottingham Forest during the summer and remains part of Nigeria's squad as they attempt to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, described the programme as one of several qualifications he has pursued: "I've got a degree in business management and another diploma, so this is my third qualification." He spoke about the time available to study as a professional footballer and the importance of perspectives beyond the pitch: "It's not like a 9-5 job in football. We go in and sometimes finish quite early and, although it's challenging, I think every footballer has time in the evening for something like this business school." Awoniyi also referenced the serious injury he suffered in May 2025, when he was placed in a medically induced coma after rupturing an intestine in a collision with a goalpost while playing for Nottingham Forest against Leicester City.
For Wycombe Wanderers defender Steve Cook, the course represented a return to formal education for the first time since his school days; Cook previously captained Bournemouth in the Premier League and has obtained coaching badges as he approaches the end of his playing career. Organisers emphasised that some graduates may not immediately apply their new qualifications but will benefit from the learning in different ways.
Azpilicueta, who retired at the end of last season, outlined his own education pathway in remarks to BBC Sport, recalling that he turned professional with hometown club Osasuna at the age of 17, had continued studying until that point, and later completed an MBA at Harvard University during his nine-year spell at Chelsea. He said: "It's not only about preparing for life after football. It's about becoming a better version of yourself in your football career as well," and added he will not be rushing into his next role after ending his playing days with Atletico Madrid and Sevilla.
The PFA course features sessions from figures across the game, including Brighton chief executive Paul Barber, and is structured so players can study in their own time; Dewsbury-Hall said he had received some "weird looks" while studying on an iPad during journeys home from away games, and graduates marked the occasion with family in attendance.
For now many of the participants remain focused on their playing careers, but organisers and attendees suggested that among this year's graduates could be future coaches, executives and sporting directors who go on to influence the game in different ways.
