{"id":20159,"date":"2022-08-11T18:40:03","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T16:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1693287"},"modified":"2022-08-11T19:01:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T17:01:13","slug":"steve-parish-reveals-the-highs-and-lows-of-football-dreams-the-academy","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/steve-parish-reveals-the-highs-and-lows-of-football-dreams-the-academy\/","title":{"rendered":"Steve Parish reveals the highs and lows of Football Dreams: The Academy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Amy Raphael\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 11 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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This article was originally published in\u00a0Radio Times magazine<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

When Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish watched the new documentary series capturing life behind the scenes of his club\u2019s football academy, he had to hold back tears: \u201cI nearly cried three times during each of the six episodes and I know all the boys involved!\u201d<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s an unexpected admission from a man in the traditionally hard-nosed position of football club co-owner, but then Football Dreams: the Academy takes us on an emotional and sometimes heart-wrenching journey full of hope and disappointment.<\/p>\n

Filmed over 12 months, the series follows players aged nine to 18 who are desperate to make it in the Premier League<\/a>. With contracts regularly up for renewal and less than one per cent of students making it into the top flight, some kids forgo socialising to dedicate their spare time to football. It is, as Crystal Palace star forward Wilfried Zaha admits in the series, \u201ca dog-eat-dog\u201d world.<\/p>\n

The 116-year-old club, in the heart of one of the most diverse, densely populated and disadvantaged areas in London, has a state-of-the-art academy, comparable to those at elite clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. For a lot of young people who enter its doors, football is more than a dream \u2013 it\u2019s a way out of poverty.<\/p>\n

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Aspiring football stars include Bola, Kairo and Kayden, who play for Palace\u2019s under-12 team. They have been playing football together since they were four or five and are so close that their coach calls them \u201cthe band of brothers\u201d. But will all three have their contracts extended or will there be heartbreak ahead? Bola\u2019s mum brings her three kids up alone, working as a nurse and somehow finding \u00a3160 to buy Bola a pair of new football boots. Kairo\u2019s dad died when he was five, while Kayden, who might be too small to be a professional footballer, wants to earn money so that he can look after his mum and dad \u2013 and buy a house with a pool, cinema and jacuzzi.<\/p>\n