Perhaps the most crucial element of the programme delivered to the young charges at the Academy of Football is the holistic nature of their development.
Every staff member prides themselves on the Academy’s ability to develop not just fine young footballers or athletes, but more importantly fine young people, too.
Take a walk through the hallways of Chadwell Heath and you’ll find yourself warmly greeted by players and staff alike – regardless of their age or whether you’ve even met them before, you’re assured of a fist bump and a ‘hello’ or five.
Hailing from north-east London, Alex Pike first joined the Academy as an eleven-year-old after making the switch from junior club Buckhurst Hill.
Over the course of a decade developing in Claret and Blue, Pike’s hard work led him to achieving for West Ham what so many Academy players across the country, sadly, cannot: a first-team debut, and in the Europa League, no less.
But it wasn’t for him – and that’s when that holistic programme’s benefits shone for the now-24-year-old.
“I look back on my time at West Ham very fondly,” he recalls. “It’s a great Club for any young player to be at. There was always lots of opportunity and some of the experiences I had you might not necessarily get at other clubs.
“Football taught me an awful lot that’s helped me to do well at what I currently do. I had some great times in football and certainly wouldn’t change any of those for the world.”
Ranking chief among those great times for Pike was that Europa League debut for West Ham, with then-manager Slaven Bilic introducing the right-back in added time of a 2-1 defeat away at Astra Giurgiu in August 2015 – a 3-1 loss on aggregate in qualifying.
“For me that was the most memorable moment,” Pike said. “I came on for the last few minutes and unfortunately we lost the game, but it was a brilliant experience. The atmosphere was amazing.
“I’d been on the bench a few times before and you’re always nervous in case you have to come on, but when it finally happens, the excitement takes over.
“There were also a few games after that where I was on the bench and didn’t get on,” – Pike recalling Premier League games at Anfield and Swansea’s Liberty Stadium – “but again they were amazing experiences you were unlikely to get anywhere else.”
These days, the atmosphere at Pike’s day-to-day job is a little quieter but, for the former footballer, even more fulfilling.
Having departed West Ham in April 2018, Pike set about pursuing his interests with typical pragmatism, focus, conscientiousness and endeavour.
The 24-year-old works for a US-focused reinsurance broker – “the insurance of insurance”, he neatly surmises – near Fenchurch Street in the City of London.
“It actually started at West Ham!” Pike revealed. “I knew of a few people that were in the insurance and reinsurance market and my old assistant manager at the time, Liam Manning, had a very good friend who’d played for Ipswich and left at a similar age to join the insurance industry.
“As I was looking at leaving, I sort of had insurance in my mind, so I started taking some of the exams and was put in touch with Liam’s friend and went and did a few weeks’ work experience with him off-the-cuff, trying to meet more people in the industry.
“I kept seeing if people would have me in for a week or two’s work experience. I figured the more experience I got, the better chance I had of getting a job.
“For all the joys that football brings, and all the highs – I don’t think there’s any feeling that compares to winning a cup competition or doing well in the league – I just felt I was missing out on quite a lot with my friends and loved ones.
“I was getting to the point where I was thinking ‘am I going to make it in the Premier League’? If I was going to end up with a career in the lower leagues making all those sacrifices, was it really worth it? Ultimately, the decision I came to was that it wasn’t.
“Now, I work for a US reinsurance broker. It’s a very different challenge, but I guess one of the reasons I left football was that I was looking for a little bit more normality and stability in my life. I’ve definitely got that and, as a result, I’ve enjoyed it.”
Pike retains a soft spot for West Ham United and remains in touch with former mentors from the Academy of Football – as well as remaining a football fan.
He said: “I’m still very much involved in football from a spectator side of things too – I still watch it pretty religiously and talk about it and play in Fantasy Leagues, that kind of thing.
“I guess the big difference is that I don’t actually play it anymore. When I left I wanted a little break from it, and in that time I got into golf with my friends.
“There’s only so much time in the days and weekends, so I haven’t really had the opportunity to go back yet – especially with COVID – but I would always be open to it because I do still very much enjoy it.
“The one thing I would say is that whatever I go on to do, whether that’s football or insurance or something completely different, I would always want to be successful and work hard to the point that I feel like I’ve achieved something.
“I’d also just want to be happy doing what I’m doing. Those apply across the board – it doesn’t really matter what you do.”
When he first broke through into Academy’s ranks, evidence of the holistic development which led to Pike’s exciting new professional challenge shone through in a profile piece he did with West Ham’s video channels.
“’I love Maths’?! Did I really say that?! Well, it was always written in the stars then, clearly!” he laughs.
If you’re a former player who’d like to reconnect with the Club, please email [email protected]
