E
ast London and the north-
east of England have been the
traditional breeding grounds
for English footballing talent.
But the England squad that won the
Under-17 World Championship in 2017
contained nobody from the north-east
and only one player, Rhian Brewster, from
Chadwell Heath, on the East London/
Essex borders
Instead there were seven – a third of
the squad – with their roots in the five
South London boroughs of Croydon,
Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark and
Wandsworth.
The most well-known of the under-17
winners, Jadon Sancho, is already blazing
a trail at senior international level and in
the Champions League with Borussia
Dortmund. Another, Chelsea’s Callum
Hudson-Odoi, is close to a summer move
to Bayern Munich.
Sancho grew up in Camberwell,
close to Reiss Nelson, the youngster
who is enjoying a breakthrough season
in the Bundesliga at Hoffenheim, on
loan from Arsenal. Nelson attended the
same school near Elephant & Castle,
London Nautical, as Fulham goalkeeperMarcus Bettinelli.
Camberwell-born Bettinelli would
feature in a South London Xl of current
Premier League players that would also
include defenders Joe Gomez
(Lewisham), Nathaniel Clyne
(Camberwell), Aaron Wan-Bissaka
(Croydon) and Ryan Sessegnon
(Wandsworth). Midfielders would include
Hudson-Odoi (Wandwsorth), Ruben
Loftus-Cheek (Lewisham) and Nathanial
Chalobah (Lambeth).
The manager – possibly Crystal
Palace-raised Gareth Southgate - would
be spoilt for choice in attack, with Sancho
and Nelson vying for places with Wilfried
Zaha (Croydon), Ademola Lookman
(Peckham), Tammy Abraham
(Camberwell) and Jordon Ibe
(Bermondsey).
This summer, the England team that
takes part in the European Under-21
Championship in Italy could feature
Croydon-born Freddie Woodman in
goal as well as the likes of Abraham,
Lookman, Nelson, Ryan Sessegnon,
Wan Bissaka and Gomez.
South London has always produced
talented footballers. Ian Wright and David
Rocastle were childhood friends, whileRio Ferdinand hails from Peckham.
What is noticeable about the current
crop of youngsters raised south of the
Thames is the disproportionate number
of skilful, attacking players.
Wan-Bissaka, the outstanding young
Crystal Palace right-back, spoke recently
of playing with kids on patches of grass
on his estate in Walton Green, New
Addington, on the fringes of Croydon.
“There’d be balls flying everywhere, a
free for all,” he told the Guardian. “The
council would cut the grass every now
and then and we’d play proper 15-a-side
matches, and I’d be first pick, eventhough I was probably the youngest.
“I’d never tackle on Walton Green.
I was too busy doing the tricks.”
Playing street football among the
cosmopolitan mix of South London
communities has undoubtedly been
a factor in the rise of the area’s
professional players. And although
Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and
Southwark contain some of the poorest
neighbourhoods in the capital – and the
worst statistics in the UK for knife crime- other factors are also at play.
Growing professionalism at club
academies and improving sporting
facilities at state and private schools
have also played a part. Hudson-Odoi
attended fee-paying Whitgift School
in Croydon where the alumni include
Victor Moses and former Chelsea striker
Bertrand Traore, now at Lyon. The
school’s teaching staff includes former
Crystal Palace manager Steve Kember
and Arsenal defender Colin Pates.
Local clubs are also prepared to give
youngsters a chance. Zaha and
Wan-Bissaka came through at Palace,
while Gomez got his chance at Charlton
Athletic and Ryan Sessegnon has made
a dramatic impact at Fulham.
Elsewhere in London, the wealthier
clubs have long looked south of the river
to recruit.
Chelsea’s extensive youth and loan
Football’s Talent Hot Spots
What’s noticeable about the crop raised south of the Thames is the
disproportionate number of skilful, attacking playersSouth London
ENGLANDEducation...Whitgift
School in CroydonTrailblazer...Jadon
Sancho leads the wayPhoto: Alamy