It was symbolic: after all the support that this particular parent had given her son, here he was, now a fully fledged professional, supporting her. Marcia Lewis was back in the canteen at Hale End where she spent countless hours as Myles progressed through the age groups. They worked out that they had clocked up a combined 36 years in youth football, travelling 38, miles in the car to training and matches, and eating 5, meals in those cars.
Behind every young prodigy that apparently appears out of nowhere to make their debut is a family who has to make it their mission to transport, feed, guide, organise, protect and unconditionally love them in a very specialised world. Factor in jobs and siblings and all the other demands of everyday life and, frankly, it is little wonder that there were times Marcia and Kate, like everyone else in this environment, felt they might crack. As they discovered, there is no guidebook to navigating the academy system β everything from expectations, injuries, agents, scholarships, contracts, boot deals, retain-or-release judgement days, friends and family needs constant managing.
Knowledge is power but they had to work everything out for themselves. The idea of the No 1 Fan Club platform was born out of that gap they had to fill by asking questions, guesswork and trial and error. Now their website, sessions and online community are a means of empowering parents and providing resources to understand the pitfalls and privileges that come with the territory. Which brings us here, upstairs at Hale End. Inside, a group of 40 parents from the under-nine to under cohorts settle down for a workshop and they get straight into it.
After an introduction, it is time for an interactive question for the parents to consider and tap out their anonymous answers. The answers strike chords: how to balance school and football. Feeling conflicted if their son has an injury β the pressure to not miss a session or a match and the worry someone else might take their place. Do you tell an academy if there is a family problem? How do you fit in a social life or other commitments alongside football? If you sacrifice all the parties, all the holidays, you can regret missing out on family time.
Iorpenda is candid enough to admit it took over her life to an extent. Stay in the present. There is so much development going on.
