Former West Ham Talent Finds New Calling Through Premier League Futures Programme
A former West Ham academy hopeful, Iyiola Adebayo went from captaining the youth teams to delivering pizzas in just six months. Now, thanks to a unique programme set up by the Premier League, his life is changing for the better.
In 2017, the Premier League Futures programme was introduced as part of the academies' duty of care towards players released during their development phase (under-18 to under-23). The initiative offers pathways beyond professional football and helps former players find new opportunities in non-football careers. For Adebayo, who had dreams of following in the footsteps of West Ham legends Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, and Declan Rice, this programme has been life-changing.
A dislocated shoulder set Adebayo back early in his career at 16, leading to release from West Ham's youth ranks. After struggling with feelings of rejection and an identity crisis, he started delivering pizzas to make ends meet. With encouragement from former head of education at West Ham, Adebayo was persuaded to apply for the Futures programme.
Within six months of being a captain at West Ham, I was delivery driving at Domino’s, said Adebayo, who had been one of the youngest players in his cohort. He credits the initiative with turning around both his career and mindset: