Manchester, UK – 2 March 2026
Two former professional footballers, Joe Davis and Tim Alexander, are set to launch a technology platform aimed at tackling what they describe as one of sport's most overlooked problems: what happens to athletes when they exit their sport.
MOJOE, a brand-new athlete-only platform designed to modernise player care and career transition, will formally launch on March 2, with early backing from professional football clubs in England.
Co-founder Davis, who spent a decade representing the likes of Leicester City, Fleetwood Town and Port Vale, believes too many athletes are unprepared for the heavy landing that follows deselection, injury or retirement.
"People see the dream," he says. "They don't see what comes after it."
Each year, thousands of academy players are released across the English pyramid. Whilst safeguarding, player care and education standards have improved significantly under EPPP regulations, long-term tracking and structured transition support remain inconsistent.
Davis believes that gap is widening.
"The system is more professional than ever," he says. "But the conveyor belt is moving faster too. Players are being scouted younger, more money is being thrown at talent, decisions are more ruthless, and for the majority who don't make it, the landing is still heavy. Industry reports evidence increased investment and professionalisation but athletes are struggling more than ever in life after sport."
Alexander, who spent the last 20 years post-football working at the forefront of big data and analytics with tech giant Snowflake, adds,
"The clubs we're speaking to understand that player care is no longer a nice-to-have. It impacts reputation, recruitment and parent trust if not carried out properly. The industry recognises that more needs to be done - the horror stories around depression, bankruptcy and mental health still exist - but clubs simply don't have the resources or time to do anything different."
Over the past 18 months, Davis and Alexander have conducted research that showed an estimated 1.4 million athletes transition out of sport globally. In the UK alone, around 47,000 face deselection, injury or retirement annually, with up to 80 percent worrying about their future, while many experience a significant drop in wellbeing during their first year out of sport.
MOJOE aims to intervene earlier, giving players a career coach in their pocket to prepare for life beyond sport ahead of their exit.
The idea was born from Davis's own experience, having stepped away from the game at 27 after injuries and dwindling first-team opportunities. Despite holding a first-class degree, he found himself adrift.
"I was fortunate enough to follow in the footsteps of my dad and brother to become a professional footballer. But when that chapter began to close, I experienced what so many athletes go through. The period where your identity starts to fade, your direction is unclear, and the support system you assumed would exist simply doesn't.
I was one of the lucky ones. I found a new path fairly quickly. But through building MOJOE and speaking to hundreds of other athletes as part of our market research, we realised my experience was far from unique."
The platform uses AI to help athletes translate their sporting experience into career-ready profiles, connect with mentors and explore opportunities beyond sport. Athletes can begin exploring alternative passions while still under contract - a shift Davis believes is culturally significant.
"When I played, the message was always 'focus on your football…you're a long time retired,'" he says. "But the modern-day athlete understands their shelf life is short and they don't want to wait until retirement to start thinking about what's next. They are more switched on than ever; more curious; more entrepreneurial. Proactively preparing for a second career shouldn't be taboo."
Behind the scenes, the company says it has tested the product with hundreds of UK athletes, brought on Olympians and international footballers as ambassadors, and secured early partnerships with Premier League and Championship clubs seeking more structured player-care systems amid tightening academy regulations.
The timing is deliberate. As scrutiny around academy release rates intensifies and governing bodies raise welfare standards, clubs are under pressure to demonstrate meaningful post-career support.
Alexander insists MOJOE is not a critique of existing systems but an evolution of them.
"Player care staff are doing incredible work," he says. "But they're often under-resourced and not set up for success in their roles. Technology can help close that gap."
Whether athletes and clubs embrace the shift remains to be seen. But Davis is clear about the ambition.
"As an industry, we obsess over tracking performance data - whether it's XG, sprint speeds, heart rates," Davis says. "But we've tolerated massive losses in transition and neglected off-pitch data. That's the imbalance we're determined to fix."
About MOJOE:
MOJOE is a proprietary digital platform revolutionising athlete career transition. Built for both athletes and institutions, MOJOE combines AI-driven career coaching, intelligent mentor matching and opportunity pathways with structured club dashboards and compliant data infrastructure.
- Raised 215k through Friends & Family round, utilising SEIS scheme.
- Onboarded numerous MOJOE ambassadors, including former Premier League players: Ben Osborn, Reece James, Matthew Pennington, Alex Cairns, Conor Grant.
- The platform launches across the UK in March 2026, with international expansion included within their 3-year plan. Long term, the founders see applications beyond sport, including military, music, performing arts and gaming - industries characterised by compressed career windows and identity-driven professional transitions.
Media Contact:
Mike Scott
Creative Director
mike@joinmojoe.com
joinmojoe.com
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