Football Academy will air in the build-up to the World Cup
Zig Zag has secured access to Southampton Football Club training academy for a 15-part CBBC series.
Across its 30-minute eps, Football Academy will follow the young players and staff at the academy which has trained the likes of Alan Shearer, Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale.
Filmed during the 2021/22 season, it tracks the highs and lows of key male and female players from the U8s through to the U15s, as well as the disability teams.
Alan Carr whose father was a professional football team manager narrates, with appearances from Southampton first team and England players James Ward-Prowse, Nathan Redmond and Kyle Walker-Peters and Liverpool’s Mo Salah, as well as Shearer and Micah Richards.
Football Academy will be supported by a series of 5 x 3-minute You Tube shorts fronted by football influencer Kieran Brown, and a special BBC Learning film about careers in football.
The exec producers are Zig Zag’s chief executive Danny Fenton and head of entertainment Andy Scott, with series producer Will Innes (Outsiders, Eating With My Ex).
Football Academy will TX in the autumn in the countdown to the World Cup in Qatar, and will “heighten anticipation” around the World Cup for young viewers, according to Scott.
“The show will provide a fascinating behind the scenes insight to what it takes to become a professional footballer,” he added.
“Southampton Football Club are considered visionaries when it comes to developing young talent, and the access they provided will give children nationwide a valuable and unique look inside a Premier League football club.”
It marks the latest BBC football show in recent weeks, following the third series of BBC3’s women’s football doc series Squad Goals from Curious Films and Insight TV, and three-parter Italia 90’ about the 1990 World Cup from Blast! Films and Sky Studios.
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