Boot Dreams: Now or Never on BBC Three and BBCiPlayer follows 16 young footballers who have had been rejected by Britain’s top clubs, as they try to achieve their dreams of becoming the next Harry Kane or Bukayo Saka once more. And it’s literally make or break!
Over four weeks they’ll go under intense training a unique academy with support from professionals like Millie Bright and Bruno Fernandes, before playing in front of top scouts with the hope of one last shot at glory. Meanwhile, presenter, radio host and die-hard Arsenal fan Roman Kemp follows all the blood, sweat and tears as they fight their way back to top-flight football.
So here’s everything you need to know about Boot Dreams: Now or Never on BBC Three…
Boot Dreams: Now or Never release date
Boot Dreams: Now or Never is a six-part series that runs weekly on BBC3 from Sunday August 20, and all six available from then as a box-set on BBCiPlayer.
Is there a trailer for Boot Dreams: Now or Never?
Yes there's a trailer for Boot Dreams: Now or Never which shows all the footballers in action and desperately trying to impress to make it into the big time. Take a look below...
What happens in Boot Dreams: Now or Never?
Boot Dreams: Now or Never follows 16 18 to 26-year-olds who have all had their dreams of making it big in football shattered, having been released from top clubs, including Tottenham, Birmingham, Bolton Wanderers, QPR, Leeds and Southampton.
Now they’re taking part in a unique academy, set up by former Watford and Stoke player Gifton Noel-Williams. The idea is that he and his team of coaches will get the boys ready for the ultimate test — playing in front of scouts with a chance to win pro contracts again.
There are sports psychologists and top players on hand to help them, too, including England star Millie Bright and Manchester United and Portugal legend Bruno Fernandes. But it’s literally all to play for – and who makes it and who doesn’t comes down to a mixture of grit, determination, attitude and skills on the pitch!
Interview: Roman Kemp guides us through Boot Dreams: Now or Never
What can you tell us about Boot Dreams: Now or Never?
"These lads have spent their whole lives trying to achieve their dream and, for one reason or another, it's been taken away from them. It can be as simple as an injury or not having the right mentality. But one lad we meet was defrauded by fake agents and another was let go by his professional club because he was caught stealing from a local corner shop. We want to give them a second knock at that door."
Were there any stories that really struck you?
"Yeah, the first couple of episodes we see ex-Tunisia international Zak. There’s a lot of pressure on lads like him because the money in football is life-changing. Zak’s middle name is Zidane and when Zak was born, the first thing his dad did was bless his feet. So it was about understanding whether a professional career was something Zak really wanted or if he was pursuing it because of his family. There’s also a former Birmingham goalkeeper called Abidan and the annoying thing with him was that it was just school kid behaviour that had seen him lose his dreams. Hopefully I provide an ear for these lads to let their stories be told."
Do you think football has a responsibility to these players?
"Yeah, I want football in general to watch something like this series and see how they’re treating players who leave the system. There has to be something in place where clubs say, you know what? We took you on and we’ll make sure you have the care needed when you leave."
You also dreamed about being a professional footballer as a kid, so can you relate to these lads?
"As a kid it was devastating when I didn’t get picked for trials, but my dad was very honest. I actually remember him saying, football’s not your thing, Ro, it’s just a hobby! But I still believe that one day Mikel Arteta is going to pick me out of the crowd and say, come on, Roman, you got your boots?"
Boot Dreams: Now or Never — the 16 players
Here's our brief guide to all 16 footballers that can be seen in Boot Dreams: Now or Never...
Jordan Mbakop Fankwe, 19, Nottingham
Originally from Cameroon, defensive midfielder Jordan moved to UK at aged 14 to live with his father. Jordan was playing football on the street with his mates when he was spotted by a Nottingham Forest Scout and offered a trial. He was offered a 2-year scholarship with them but was let go at the end of the first season.
Theo Hudson, 21, Leeds
Scouted by Leeds United aged 7, Midfielder Theo went on to play for their youth team from 9, and looked destined for success when he got an opportunity to turn out for England U16’s. But at the age of 19 he was dropped by Leeds and still doesn’t understand why.
Jake Flannigan, 25, Southampton
Defender Jake signed a 4 year scholarship with Southampton aged 12 and went to secure a 3 year professional contract with them. After making it to his first team Premier League game aged 18, he ruptured his ACL the next day at a reserves game. Since then Jake has battled with a succession of injuries and has had a number of major knee operations.
Alex Sami, 23, Manchester
Striker Alex moved to Manchester from Iran at the age of 15. He quickly moved up the teams at Curzon Ashton FC and within a few months was playing for the first team. He was scouted by Manchester City and put into the Academy team. He subsequently went to Bolton Wanderers where he seemed destined for success, until he was arrested on suspicion of an immigration offence. Though he was subsequently cleared, his career has never recovered.
Zak Guerfi, 23, Hertfordshire
Central Midfielder Zak was part of Stevenage Academy from 11 through to 18 when he was released. He then went on to play for Tunisia’s International team, playing in matches against Iraq and Croatia. Zak was sold for a 4-year professional contract with a Tunisian team in the top division, Us Monastir. But he was dropped after just three months when he injured his hamstring.
Alfie Young, 25, Watford
At the age of 11 Alfie was scouted by Watford and signed to their Academy where he played through to 19. Defender Alfie was given a 2 year professional contract but wasn’t ever given a 1st team appearance with Watford and ended up being released at the end of his 1st year.
Scott Wara, 22, Staffordshire
Defender Scott is originally from Fiji but after moving to Stoke aged 10 he was subsequently scouted at 13 by Stoke City FC. Scott stayed with Stoke City for 8 years and looked set to make his first team debut at 18 before a change of manager stalled his career. Scott has also played for the Fijian national team.
George Scott, 19, Nottingham
Midfielder George briefly joined Notts County at 14, and after another brief stint at Mansfield, he went to Rotherham United on a scholarship aged 18.
Abidan Edwards, 23, Birmingham
Goalkeeper Abidan was playing for a local Sunday league when he was spotted by West Brom at aged 16, he went on to trial at Birmingham City and played with them for half a year before being let go following issues with his behaviour.
Hamza Abuzour, 20, Manchester
Midfielder Hamza is from Hungary where his grandfather was a professional footballer. He moved to England at the age of 8, eventually spending time training with Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers. Hamza has a unique path to the camp as he was spotted during a training match where he impressed Gifton and Roman with his ability.
Harrison Foulstone, 20, Sheffield
Leftback Harrison achieved every kid’s dream when he was scouted to join the development squad of his home team, Sheffield United, at the age of 7. He stayed for 12 years before being released at the age of 19. Now doing well-paid work on an oil rig, he still wants to return to the pro game.
Tonye Joseph, 24, London
Midfielder Tonye grew up playing cage football before joining QPR aged 12. From 15, he had a succession of trials, but gave up to go to university. He decided to give the game one more chance and secured a new trial, before COVID disrupted his plans.
Qasim Khan, 20, London
Qasim signed with Cambridge United as an U15 but got released after a year without a scholarship. Striker Qasim’s life changed at 16 when he was diagnosed with b cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. After 6 months of chemotherapy and a year later the all-clear, Qasim went straight back to training and Wembley FC who signed him after his first game.
Charley McMillian, 27, Kent
Originally from Sao Paulo in Brazil, Charley came to Britain at the age of 5 and went on to join Tottenham Academy. He’s subsequently played abroad in Albania and
Myles Bowman, 22, Farnborough
Myles says his career began at 4, when his Dad, himself a footballer, told him he would grow up to be a goalkeeper. At 15 he went to QPR and spent three years there before he was released. He’s now playing non-league football.
Exaucé Mabanza-Ditu, 21, Surrey
Exaucé’s family left The Congo when he was 6 years old due to Civil unrest. He played for local teams until the age of 11 when he was scouted by Crystal Palace. At 16, he was offered a Scholarship but a few months later they withdrew. Since then, Exaucé has had trials at Brentford and Barnet which were unsuccessful , so moved into non-League, firstly with Welling United and then Staines Town FC.
Edson Da Silva Doliveira, 23, London
Edson moved to London aged 7. He joined a school programme with Fulham FC aged around 14-15, and joined the 2nd team. The Fulham Academy decided not to take Edson on so he went to Thamesmead where he was their top scorer for the season. He was signed by a club in Andorra, but released during the pandemic.
Tevhan Tyrell, 25, Manchester
Striker Tevhan began his career in Bermuda, playing for the national team from 14. He moved to the UK aged 18, but his career has been disrupted by clubs closing and injury and most recently, COVID.
Bryan Ly, 19, Manchester
Bryan grew up in Ireland playing football for Cherry Orchard but his parents moved their family to Manchester after realising his talents. He moved straight into the Manchester City Development squad where he played for five years, but he didn’t end up getting signed. He signed for the U16s academy at Morecambe after playing a match with their development squad and was offered a two year Scholarship.
Harvey Cullinan, 19, County Clare, Ireland
Centre Back Harvey joined Sheffield United at 16, after growing up playing in Sunday League in Ireland. After two years he was offered a pro contract but spent a large part of the season injured, before being let go.
Latham Edwards, 22, Manchester
Latham played for a grass roots club up to aged 9, until Manchester United came to watch and he was subsequently taken into their elite development squad. Whilst at the Academy, his asthma became an increasing problem and stalled his career.
