From the producers of the multi-award winning Coming In From The Cold, comes a new podcast documentary series about the journey, the dream and reality of becoming a professional football player through the academy system. Only 1% of those in England’s football academies go on to become professional full-time players at a Premier League or WSL club. 99% won’t. This is their story. Many young players, both boys and girls will take the journey through the football academy system, so why do so few make it, and at what cost? How do those lost to the system cope with being discarded? What is the impact on their parents and other members of the family? How do those who work in the game help or hinder their progress? What about the players, their sacrifices, their challenges and ultimately where they are now? Narrated by Troy Townsend, this series features Premier League, WSL and footballing stars Andros Townsend, Eberechi Eze, Ben White, Andy Robertson, Anita Asante and Steven Caulker. You will also hear from footballing legends such as Les Ferdinand, Jamie Carragher, Trevor Sinclair, Lee Trundle and Marcus Gayle, alongside the game’s most respected coaches such as Chris Ramsey, Manisha Tailor & Hannah Dingley, just to name a few. In this first episode, we look at the start of the journey of many of the boys and girls in the English Football Academy system, explain how it works, in both the men's and women's game. You will hear from the players, such as Everton's Andros Townsend, Crystal Palace's Eberichi Eze and Aston Villa's Anita Asante, who speak about the sacrifices and experiences they made from a very young age to ensure they are successful in the 'Career Before The Career', on their paths to become professional footballers. Hear the full series here. This production was supported by The Audio Content Fund and broadcast nationally on talkSPORT.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.