wlhatwhl
Well-Known Member
- Jan 6, 2012
- 325
- 721
This might be of interest to keen watchers of youth Academy football.
Dominic Ball, is a former graduate of the Tottenham Academy, and is now at Ipswich Town, having moved from QPR last summer. Unfortunately, he's out for the remainder of the season due to an injury sustained in November, but he has written a book about life going through the football Academy system.
The book's called:
From Winning Teams to Broken Dreams - The story of six friends' struggle to make it to the Premier League
It records the memories and thoughts of Dominic, his older brother Matt who was at the Norwich academy, Lawrence Vigouroux and Mason Bush who were at Tottenham, Beau Amos and Jack Westlake who met Dominic in his early years at Watford Academy.
The final member of the group of friends is Spencer McCall who like the others loved playing football but wasn't in an Academy. He played for various non-league clubs but sadly passed away in July 2021 having battled bravely against a rare form of bone cancer - Ewing's Sarcoma. All author royalties from the sale of the book are going to Sarcoma UK, a national charity that funds research and offers support for anyone affected by sarcoma cancer.
The players recall the excitement, the highs and the lows, the pressures, their concerns about gaining a contract and how their thoughts and love for football changed over the years.
I bought the book at Christmas and have just started to read it. It's very interesting and describes what many young players going through the Academy system experience every season.
Dominic Ball, is a former graduate of the Tottenham Academy, and is now at Ipswich Town, having moved from QPR last summer. Unfortunately, he's out for the remainder of the season due to an injury sustained in November, but he has written a book about life going through the football Academy system.
The book's called:
From Winning Teams to Broken Dreams - The story of six friends' struggle to make it to the Premier League
It records the memories and thoughts of Dominic, his older brother Matt who was at the Norwich academy, Lawrence Vigouroux and Mason Bush who were at Tottenham, Beau Amos and Jack Westlake who met Dominic in his early years at Watford Academy.
The final member of the group of friends is Spencer McCall who like the others loved playing football but wasn't in an Academy. He played for various non-league clubs but sadly passed away in July 2021 having battled bravely against a rare form of bone cancer - Ewing's Sarcoma. All author royalties from the sale of the book are going to Sarcoma UK, a national charity that funds research and offers support for anyone affected by sarcoma cancer.
The players recall the excitement, the highs and the lows, the pressures, their concerns about gaining a contract and how their thoughts and love for football changed over the years.
I bought the book at Christmas and have just started to read it. It's very interesting and describes what many young players going through the Academy system experience every season.
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