Academy to star in new CBBC documentary series Football Academy

Produced by independent production company Zig Zag, the series follows the young players and staff at Southampton Football Club. It will air this Autumn on CBBC in the countdown to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The series, which includes 15 30-minute episodes in total, was filmed during the 2021/22 season and will track the highs and lows of key people at the academy, giving unprecedented access to teams from the U8s through to the U15s. The series will follow the stories of young footballers from the male, female and disability teams.

Narrated by Alan Carr, whose father was a professional football team manager at Northampton Town amongst others, the new show also sees Southampton first team and England international players James Ward-Prowse, Nathan Redmond and Kyle Walker-Peters take part in a range of football challenges with the academy pupils.

The star-studded documentary series also features a guest appearance from Premier League and ex Saints legend Alan Shearer amongst others.

Southampton Football Club has a proud history of nurturing some of the best players in the world through the academy, turning potential into excellence. England stars including Alan Shearer, James Ward-Prowse, Luke Shaw, Theo Walcott, Wayne Bridge, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Wales superstar Gareth Bale are all Southampton Academy alumni.

Fabiola Wilcox, Director of Brand Experience & Communications at Southampton Football Club commented: "Our club has a rich history of nurturing talent and providing a pathway for young players into the professional game.

"With this documentary series, we’re giving an insight into the work that happens day in day out across our academy and Regional Talent Centres in the UK. We want children to understand what it takes to become the professional footballers of tomorrow and the key role our staff can play in developing those key life skills that will set them up for success whether they stick with football or not.

"We’re incredibly proud to be working with both Zig Zag and the BBC on this project and hope it will inspire many more generations to come.”

Andy Scott, Head of Entertainment at Zig Zag, and Football Academy Executive Producer commented: “The show will provide a fascinating behind-the-scenes insight into what it takes to become a professional footballer.

"Southampton Football Club are considered visionaries when it comes to developing young talent, and the access they provided will give children nationwide a valuable and unique look inside a Premier League football club.

"We’re delighted to be working with BBC on this project and in a World Cup year, it will only serve to heighten anticipation of the tournament for young viewers on CBBC.”