Trent Alexander-Arnold has teamed up with the PFA to launch 'The After Academy', an initiative that will provide career opportunities for former academy players.

Statistically, 99% of players that join an academy at nine-years-old do not make it as a professional footballer, a worryingly high statistic that led Alexander-Arnold to ask former academy players about their experiences of life after football. What the Liverpool and England player found out was their time spent in the academy system negatively affected their education, career prospects, and mental health.

Through 'The After Academy', Alexander-Arnold hopes to create career opportunities for former players that allow them to utilise transferable skills from their time in an academy setting.

https://twitter.com/TrentAA/status/1651492090755334145

In collaboration with partners Red Bull, Under Armour and Therabody, the initiative will offer work placements, jobs, and internships across various departments, with the PFA joining the team as a supporting partner to provide education, career, and wellbeing counselling.

Alexander-Arnold reflected on the initiative by saying: “I loved my time at the Liverpool Academy, it gave me everything I have today and I’m so grateful to be in the position I’m in. I wouldn’t swap it for anything in the world, but if things didn’t work out, I could have been one of those being told the dream is over. I’m fortunate to not know what that conversation is like, but I know from my friends and other former players how hard it hits and how tough it can be."

The platform will go live later this year, with further information available closer to its launch.