Former professional footballer Adebayo Akinfenwa has launched a new podcast with football media company, Footballco.
Beast Mode On hears from players who have defied the odds in their careers and overcome major obstacles.
The first episode features Watford FC legend Troy Deeney, who discusses his career, his troubled childhood and his relationship with his father, who died days before Deeney began a ten-month prison sentence.
The next episode will feature West Ham star Michail Antonio, with future guests set to share similarly powerful stories of resilience and determination in football.
The series theme is rooted in the challenges Akinfenwa faced through his own career, including being labelled as ‘too big’ to play professionally, which he turned into more than twenty years as a footballer known for his strength, power and positivity.
Launched today, 3 July, Beast Mode On is distributed across podcast platforms and a new Beast Mode On YouTube channel, with additional clips and episodes shared on Akinfenwa’s social channels and Footballco’s GOAL brand platforms.
Footballco’s GOAL has a history of creating player-led video content including GOAL’s Front Three YouTube series, which has had more than 1.5 billion views in the past twelve months.
Footballco VP of Content Xavi Sanchez said Bayo’s “larger-than-life personality makes him a charismatic host” while also understanding “the mental challenges faced by players at all levels of the game”.
Akinfenwa said: “I’m extremely excited to be teaming up with Footballco on this venture. Like me, my guests have faced many challenges in their careers. This podcast will delve deep into how they overcame those life hurdles and went on to achieve great things.”
