Football star swaps dressing room for classroom

Image source, Simon Thake/BBC Image caption, Jake Wright is head of Year 8 at Newfield School in Sheffield By Simon Thake Yorkshire Published 5 July 2026, 07:13 BST When former Sheffield United defender Jake Wright joined Newfield School in September, pupils were quick to test out their new head of year 8. "Literally, most days kids were like, 'why have you come to this school? Surely you've got millions'. I'm like, if I had millions I wouldn't be working at school," he says. In truth, 40-year-old Wright admits he had "no idea" what he wanted to do after his playing career, but says he "loves" his new pastoral role working in the Sheffield secondary school. Standing just over 6ft and dressed in a smart grey jacket and black tie, Mr Wright cuts an authoritative figure in the school corridors. It's not hard to imagine him going toe-to-toe with battled-hardened lower-league centre forwards - despite teasing from the school reception staff. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Wright played 46 times for Sheffield United, gaining promotion from League One to the Championship in the 2016/17 season Wright has certainly embraced his new position of responsibility. But how has he found the adjustment from a noisy dressing room with big personalities and colourful language to helping to shape young minds in a new academy? "Definitely less rollickings," he jokes. "You used to shout at players a lot back in the day but I think now some players can't cope with that, they need an arm around them, a quiet word, and a bit of confidence. "Some students do need a firm telling too if they're doing something wrong and some just need five minutes of your time in your office." Wright's office is 50 yards from the school entrance. He shares it with the head of Year 7 and director of lower school. His position is not a teaching role, rather he is there to offer support and guidance to pupils outside of the classroom. Like football, the job offers both structure and variety. "I get in at 07:30 but every day is different," he says. "There's a lot of wins in it, you're turning kids who aren't attending school, getting them to attend and even enjoy lessons again." Image source, supplied Image caption, About 1,000 pupils study at Newfield School in Sheffield Becoming a father himself at 19 and now with two teenage boys, Wright is well aware of the importance of male role models. It was his main pitch in the interview for the job. "Quite a few people applied for the job and it got down to six of us and I was the only male and the head was female and I told her I think it needed a male role. "I know the area and I just said a lot of them might not have a male role model. They might need someone else to talk to and luckily she agreed and that's why I got the job." Growing up on a council estate in Bradford, Wright admits despite loving PE and maths he "struggled" at school. "I lived in an area not dissimilar to this. I didn't do well at school. There was stuff I'd seen gro