Chelsea Academy Visits

Chelsea’s Academy is famous for producing talented young players and winning youth titles.

This season, the U21s won the league phase of Premier League 2 but were beaten in the quarter-final stage of the play-offs by rivals Tottenham. They also narrowly lost in the UEFA Youth League last 16 to Real Madrid. Jesse Derry, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and Shim Mheuka have all starred with all three making their first team debuts this season - Mhueka also won the PL2 Player of the Season.

The U18s won the Premier League South but were disappointingly beaten 4-1 in the FA Youth Cup quarter-final by the North League winners Manchester City. The two sides meet again on 22 May in The U18 Premier League Final. Star performers include Ibrahim Rabbaj, Scholar of The Year Olutayo Subuloye and 15 year-old Hezekiah Grimwade.

We recently met with Jack Wakely who captained Chelsea at youth level, playing alongside star players such as Reece James and winning Premier League 2. After spells at Brighton, Wycombe Wanderers and Ebbsfleet United, Jack unfortunately suffered a career ending injury.

However, having invested in his education whilst playing football, Jack has been able to transition into a career in wealth management and is currently studying towards the prestigious Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) Levels 5 and 6.

Jack is a shining example for young aspiring footballers, highlighting the importance of investing in their education and personal development so that they are ready for life after football on retirement or in the unfortunate event they suffer a serious injury.