At the age of sixteen, Lewis Walker moved away from home to begin his apprenticeship with Stoke City and pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer. “I found it quite challenging at first,” Lewis admits. “I’m from Northampton, and moving to Stoke at sixteen to live with a random family you don’t know was hard. Nothing really prepares you for that.
“I definitely look back on that difficult period as a positive experience, though. It was a case of character building and bringing myself out of my shell – one of the many life skills I learned and improved during my apprenticeship.”
Discussing his time as an apprentice in further detail, Lewis reflects on the two-year period with great fondness. “It was class. I loved my apprenticeship – I don’t think I could have done anything better from sixteen to eighteen. Credit to Stoke as well; they delivered it fantastically.”
During the second year of his apprenticeship, Lewis used his initiative and began exploring potential transition routes in case he wasn’t offered a professional deal. “I knew people from other colleges and schools would be applying for jobs and apprenticeships at the same time, so there was no reason for me to leave it any longer just because I was playing football.
“I started applying for things like five or six months before I received my decision. I knew the interviews for the particular roles I’d applied for weren’t until after my decision date, so if I got a professional contract, I wouldn’t need to worry – but if I didn’t, I was prepared. It was the best decision I ever made.”
Unfortunately, at the end of his apprenticeship, the midfielder wasn’t offered professional terms by the Staffordshire club. “To me, it didn’t feel like a massive deal, to be honest. I kind of sensed the decision before it was confirmed, so it wasn’t a huge shock.
“I very much had the mindset of, ‘OK, that hasn’t quite worked out – let’s move on to the next thing.’ You think it’s going to be this really big deal when you get released and that people are going to be talking about it, but no one is really bothered in that way. When I went home and told my mates, they were just like, ‘Oh right, what are you going to do next?’ It wasn’t that big a deal for me.”
Thanks to Lewis’ proactiveness during his second year on the programme, he didn’t have much time to dwell, almost immediately beginning an apprenticeship in quantity surveying. “I got my decision from Stoke in May and started working at the end of June, so it was a really quick turnaround. It couldn’t have been any better for me, really, as I wasn’t dwelling on anything.
“My apprenticeship is with a company called 7formation and we work on projects all over the UK. For me personally, I’m really enjoying it. My role is to manage the finances of different projects, working with subcontractors such as plumbers and electricians. You’ve got to be a good negotiator in order to get the best prices for your projects. It’s great because I’m not constantly sat in an office; I’m out on site on some days and meeting new people all the time, which is really interesting.
“I’ve got a few of my own jobs on the go now, which is good. I’ve got a couple of Decathlon stores in Warrington and Oxford, and a Mercedes-Benz garage in Huddersfield. Considering I’m new to the role, I feel lucky to have that responsibility already.
“I’m also at university on Thursdays for my lectures. It’s a five-year course, so quite a long one, but by the end of it I’ll be fully qualified.”
Looking back on his time as an apprentice at Stoke, Lewis is certain that the skills and behaviours he honed whilst in the academy system have played a huge role in his newfound career. “I think there are so many skills you don’t realise you’re picking up at the time when you’re in that bubble. My communication, attitude to learning, punctuality and general attitude – just to name a few – all improved so much.”
Alongside his new job, Lewis has continued his football career in non-league and is keen to push on and play at as high a level as possible again in the future. “For now, I just want to get back to enjoying playing. I’m playing at Step Five at the moment and I’m loving it, but I do have my sights set on playing at a higher level again. I’m just getting my head down with both work and football, and I’ll see how far it takes me.”
