Dewsbury-Hall and Awoniyi among Premier League graduates from PFA Business School
September 30, 2026 09:00
The PFA Business School’s 2026 cohort graduated at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, with current Premier League players and former professionals among those in caps and gowns. The group included Everton’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Coventry City striker Taiwo Awoniyi and Steve Cook.
KEY CONTEXT
Cesar Azpilicueta addressed the graduates, 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.
Dewsbury-Hall, 28, travelled by train from Merseyside to attend the ceremony and has completed a postgraduate diploma in global football sport directorship. He told BBC Sport he hoped to continue playing but wanted to "learn and develop away from the pitch" and that completing the course now meant "if the time ever comes when an opportunity presents itself, luckily I've got something that can help me."
Awoniyi, 29, who joined Coventry from Nottingham Forest in the summer and remains part of Nigeria's squad as they attempt to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, has continued studying throughout his playing career. He holds a degree in business management and another diploma, and said the PFA course is his third qualification. Awoniyi 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 — as part of why he values education and preparation beyond football.
Both players stressed that studying alongside a playing career is possible but demanding. Awoniyi said it "demands a lot from you and it's all about how willing you are to do it," and added there are "a lot of things that are bigger than football."
WHY IT MATTERS
Graduates described the ceremony as similar to an Oxbridge graduation, underscoring a trend of players pursuing formal qualifications in sports business and directorship while still active. Participants framed the courses as personal development and preparation for future opportunities beyond playing.