5 Ex-footballers Pursuing New Careers with GIS, Featuring Brad Guzan

GIS is proud to be a top choice for athletes who want to continue their careers in football after retirement. 

With some still playing and others already heading down their new career paths, meet some of our footballing talent who have decided to pursue new careers with GIS.

1. Brad Guzan

A former Aston Villa goalkeeper, US Olympian and World Cup athlete, Brad Guzan is now at Atlanta United whilst studying with us at GIS. Currently enrolled on our MSc Football Business programme, Brad is balancing high-level football with his future career aspirations, telling us, “I’m not ready to hang up my gloves yet, so the option to prepare my next move whilst still playing at the highest level was hugely important to me.”

Learning about the intricacies of football finance and the methods for increasing fan engagement, Brad feels that despite a lifetime in football, there’s plenty more to explore.

“It’s amazing to still discover new aspects about a sport I love,” he said, “and to look at ways I can continue to make an impact in football after I finish playing.” 

2. Marlo Sweatman

Having retired earlier this year, former Jamaica international Marlo Sweatman is a second athlete who is taking her next career steps with GIS, where she is studying MSc International Sport Management. 

Part of our 2025 scholarship intake, she received our Elite Athlete Scholarship, Marlo represented Jamaica between 2018 and 2024, and is an integral part of our Mount Pleasant Live Lab experience that launched this year. This internship saw 10 GIS students head out to Jamaica to support Mount Pleasant Football Academy, where half of them, including Marlo, assisted the club with content creation, alongside various commercial and partnership activities.

“It’s important for athletes to come off the field and learn from the business side of the sport,” she said, adding that the experience was “eye-opening” for her.

3. Bailey Wright

Another World Cup player amongst our alumni, Bailey Wright is a GIS graduate who studied with us while still playing.

Representing Australia at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the centre-back won promotion with The Black Cats whilst studying with GIS, saying his footballing performances and studies have gone hand in hand. 

“I don’t see it as a distraction at all, I see it as a real positive.”

“The course appealed to me because if I had to hand in a CV, I wouldn’t have a clue where to start.”

That realisation encouraged Bailey to reflect on the transferable skills he’d gained throughout his playing career.

“The lessons I’ve learnt about working with people, in teams, and in high pressure decision making are all things I had never thought about too much until I did the course, which really helped me understand myself better, and that has allowed me to understand other people better.”

4. Terry Dunfield

Terry Dunfield is a former professional footballer who rose through the ranks of Manchester City’s academy before representing Canada on the international stage with 14 caps. 

“When it’s over, it’s kind of scary,” Terry told GIS. 

Terry studied part-time for over two years alongside coaching in the Toronto FC academy and what stood out most to him was the strong sense of community among his peers.

“The camaraderie amongst the cohort is incredible. We’re really in this fight together and living the highs and lows.”

For Terry, success beyond the pitch comes down to enthusiasm, and a drive to keep learning.

“You’ve got to love it, you’ve got to be really passionate about the sport and helping people.

“I think energy is important, and just intellectual curiosity. I just want to learn and get better.”

5. Harrison Bruton

Studying MSc Performance Analysis in Football with GIS, Harrison currently plays his football for Al Qabila FC in Dubai.

Previously at Weymouth during their time in the National League, the young goalkeeper sees his studies as a head start on his career post-retirement.

“When you finish sport, you won’t want to sit around and do nothing,” he said. 

“You’ll want something to aim towards and have a goal, so working towards that before your career ends gives you a great head start.”

Another reason for Harrison taking up a postgraduate course is to benefit his playing career. 

“As a player, I always found myself criticising my performances, never picking out positives, and when I was criticising it was never productive– I was just getting deflated. One of the biggest reasons for the masters is to improve my own analysis of my own performance.”

Through our various course offerings, athletes, both retired and still playing, are able to proactively prepare for their next steps, gaining the qualifications, knowledge, and network needed for their careers off the pitch. To explore further, find out more on our postgraduate course page.