October 6th 2023.
Danny Edmead had an eight-week trial with his dream team, Tottenham Hotspur, when he was only eleven years old. After a successful training session, the coaches took him into their office to give him the heartbreaking news that he wouldn’t be signed. Devastated, Danny went for more trials with other clubs, only to be rejected each time.
The rejection was difficult for Danny, especially at such a young age. The Covid-19 pandemic only made it worse, disrupting his career and adding to his already overwhelming pressures as a student. He was eventually signed to SG Unnterrath, a German Bundesliga 2 team, but was unable to stay due to financial difficulties.
‘It felt like I had to restart my journey,’ Danny reflects. ‘I wasn’t involved in any training, so I had a lot of time to think. I was really struggling mentally until I spoke to family and friends about the situation.’
Thankfully, Danny has found an alternative career path through Impact Films Academy’s new initiative, which offers young players like him a chance to get into filmmaking. The academy has collaborated with the Mind mental health charity for its first project, a short film called Kicks.
The narrative around men’s football is slowly shifting, encouraging players to open up about their emotions rather than bottle them up. However, for many it isn’t happening fast enough. The stats are damning; of the 1.5 million players in organised youth football in England, only 0.012% will make it as a professional player at a Premier League club.
Barry Silkman, a former professional footballer, was one of the few to make it. Joining clubs such as Manchester City, Crystal Palace and Leyton Orient in the 1970s and 80s, he went on to represent some of the most successful football players in the world as an agent. According to Barry, the biggest challenge is getting your first professional contract.
‘Clubs now take players from eight-years-old and that in my opinion is outrageous and should be stopped. 13 or 14 should be the earliest any club can take a player and all clubs’ academies for under 13s should be closed down. Let kids be kids. It will help like you can’t believe. It’s football’s biggest problem.’
Danny Edmead had always dreamed of playing for Tottenham Hotspurs. At just 11 years old, he was given an 8-week trial with the team, and he felt like he put in the effort to get signed. But when the coaches took him into an office, they told him they were unable to sign him, but that he would go far in football.
Danny continued to pursue his dream, trying out for Charlton, Watford and Fulham. At each trial, he felt like he was close to signing with a club, but each time, there was no call back. The disappointment was especially hard on Danny in his 11th grade year, when he was already feeling the pressures of being a student.
When Danny was signed by the German Bundesliga 2 team SG Unnterrath, he thought his dreams were coming true. But the club was unable to house him due to financial issues caused by the Covid lockdown. He had to return to London and restart his journey. This was incredibly difficult for Danny and it began to take a toll on his mental health.
Thankfully, Danny was given a chance to start a different career path with Impact Films Academy. The initiative offers young players like Danny opportunities in filmmaking and has collaborated with the Mind mental health charity for its first project - a short film called Kicks. The film stars former footballer Barry Silkman, who played for several professional football clubs in the UK during the 1970s and 80s.
Premier League football academies allow up to 250 boys to participate, with around 5,000 involved in the system at any given time. Unfortunately, the statistic of less than 0.5% of those who enter the football academies at the age of nine ever playing for the first team is a damning reminder of just how hard it is to make it as a professional player.
Barry Silkman believes that the biggest challenge is getting that first professional contract, and that clubs should be banned from taking players from the age of 8. He also believes that clubs' academies for under 13s should be closed down, as it will help aspiring footballers in more ways than one.
Danny Edmead’s story is a reminder of just how hard it is to make it in professional football. Although his dream of playing in the Bundesliga was cut short, he is now using his experience to help other aspiring footballers in the short film Kicks and beyond.
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