The former Brighton and Hove Albion scholar taking the internet by storm

At the age of 22, former Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper, Toby Bull, is building an impressive new career as a social media content creator, with more than 300,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok.

Just four years ago, Toby travelled to Old Trafford with the Brighton first team squad but 12 months later, he was released by the club. Today, he’s focussing on other career options while continuing to enjoy his football at Dulwich Hamlet FC in the Isthmian Premier League.

Toby has also passed his UEFA B coaching licence and recently joined the Player Care team at the Premier League. In an interview with The Players Foundation, Toby describes the challenges of his football journey and the importance of better education for players.

‘When you’re travelling to Manchester United in the Premier League, you like to think you’re going to have a nice career in football but, as we know, football doesn’t work like that. So during the period when I was injured and coming away from professional football, I did really look into the education side,’ said Toby, who has since secured a master’s degree in football business management.

Then he discovered the opportunities presented by the online world: ‘I saw all this stuff on social media, and I decided to film my goalkeeper training sessions.  I knew a couple of people who’d done it already and thought it was worth giving it a try!’

‘I enjoyed filming the sessions and taught myself new skills along the way, including editing. For me, it was never a goal to turn content creation into a full-time job but then I suddenly realised from the reaction I was getting, that this could be a successful new business.’

And Toby believes that other players who need to forge a second career, can follow his lead: ‘I think it’s really important for footballers to showcase that we’re more than just athletes, we can actually offer so much more to the world.’

• The Players Foundation supports current and former professional footballers and scholars, who find themselves in charitable need.