Awoniyi Earns Sport Directorship Diploma with Merit

Super Eagles and Coventry City striker Taiwo Awoniyi has added a new academic qualification to his growing portfolio after graduating from the PFA Business School with a Postgraduate Diploma in Global Football Sport Directorship, awarded with merit.

The Ilorin-born forward announced the milestone on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, sharing photographs from the graduation ceremony and describing it as “another proud moment for me off the pitch.” He completed the two-year part-time programme while remaining an active Premier League player.

The qualification is delivered by the Professional Footballers’ Association Business School in partnership with the University of Portsmouth. The course is co-directed by former Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta and Les Reed, the former Southampton executive and UEFA technical official. It is designed to prepare current and former players for leadership roles in recruitment, squad planning, football operations.

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Awoniyi said the decision reflected a long-held view that elite football and continued study need not be mutually exclusive. “I have always believed that being a footballer shouldn’t stop you from being a student of the game, and education has become an important part of that journey for me,” he wrote. He thanked the school’s lecturers and fellow students, as well as his family and friends, and closed with the line: “Still playing. Still learning. The journey continues.”

The diploma is his third major academic award. He earlier completed a diploma in business and marketing at the London School of International Business and a bachelor’s degree in business management at Buckinghamshire New University in 2022. The latest programme ran from 2024 and was structured around fortnightly online sessions and periodic in-person modules in London, allowing students to combine study with professional commitments.

Awoniyi moved to Coventry City from Nottingham Forest in August 2026. His start at the newly promoted club has been mixed; he was sent off in Sunday’s 5-0 home defeat to Brighton and is expected to serve a suspension. The academic news arrives as he continues to prepare for a possible future in football administration after his playing career.

The PFA Business School was set up to help players develop skills for roles beyond the pitch. Its alumni include other current and former professionals who have pursued similar executive programmes while still competing. Awoniyi’s graduation places him among a growing group of Nigerian internationals investing in formal training for sporting director and club-management pathways.