CBBC documentary series launches
Our academy has an impressive reputation for producing some of the Premier League’s most exciting prospects. We’re proud to announce that last night saw the launch of a new CBBC series, The Football Academy, which shines a light on life at the academy bringing viewers unprecedented access to the Saints stars of the future.
The 15-part series follows every moment of euphoria and heartbreak as our budding stars embark on their next steps in the world of football. Each episode introduces new academy players across our male, female and disability teams as they journey through life at the academy with dreams of running out at St Mary’s as fully fledged first team players.
Airing daily Monday-Thursday at 5:30pm BST on CBBC and also available on the iPlayer, the series was produced by independent production company Zig Zag with the aim of showing the realities of academy life to a children’s audience in an exciting and inspiring way.
Narrated by comedian, presenter and son of a former football manager, Alan Carr, the series also features a whole host of current and former Saints players. James Ward-Prowse, Theo Walcott, Kyle Walker-Peters and Sophia Pharoah take on our academy prospects in ‘Skill Showdowns’ - while special guests include Micah Richards and Southampton FC Academy alumni Alan Shearer.
James Ward-Prowse said: “As a graduate of the academy, I know first-hand how the incredible staff and coaches there can nurture talent into some of the best in the world. This fly on the wall CBBC series really shows off our young players’ talent and lively personalities in equal measure - I’m looking forward to tuning in.”
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.”
