Why South London?

Growing up in the English capital, it’s almost impossible not to of heard of the thriving South London football scene.

South London has become a place well known for developing the new modern English player. In 2020, 14 percent of the Premier League’s English-born players came from within 10 square miles of south London.

So why has this area become a hotbed of the world’s next best players?

Gaining insight into South London’s football scene we need to understand how the capital became such a mecca of soccer.

London Clubs

London teams have accumulated over twenty-one English championships. 41 FA Cups, 12 EFL Cups, 28 Community Shields, 15 Football League Championships, one Club World Cup, two Champions Leagues, five Cup Winners’ Cups, four UEFA Cups/Europa Leagues, two Super Cups, and two Intertoto Cups. This includes an unbeaten championship-winning season by Arsenal in the 2003-04 premiership season. Arsenal is also the most successful domestic London club.

Chelsea takes the title of most successful global London club. They have won, two European cups |Champions League, two UEFA Super Cup, two UEFA Cup|Europa League titles, Two UEFA cup winners Cup, and one intercontinental cup|FIFA World Club Club).

London’s roots in soccer began from the annual Shrove Tuesday festival. The version of the game we know was first recorded by William FitzStephen somewhere in the 1174–1183 timeframe.

Since that time the game, as we know it, was coded in 1863. London club on the River Thames, Fulham, is regarded as the first team to be founded in 1879. However, Royal Arsenal (later Woolwich Arsenal and now known simply as Arsenal FC) was the first team in London to turn professional. Arsenal turned professional in 1891 and later joined the football league in 1893.

South London serving clubs

Living in England, you’re generally born into supporting a club! Living in London there are certain clubs that garner the most support from London areas. North London generally has Tottenham Hotspur as the most popular supported club. Central and Inner London residents supporting Arsenal. The East London area and Essex love their West Ham United. Crystal Palace is by far the most supported club in the South of London.

Other clubs in South London include the oldest club, Millwall FC. However, Millwall is originally from the East London area. Millwall, as a name, is an area in the Isle of Dogs. Historically known as Stepney Marshes, but since 1987 the area saw the name of Tower hamlets used for the borough.

Charlton Athletic and AFC Wimbledon make up the professional clubs in the area.

South Rivalries include Brighton (Crystal Palace), West Ham United (Millwall), and AFC Wimbledon having a grudge against Milton Keynes Dons. Milton Keynes Dons used to be known as Wimbledon, after their move, fans created Pheonix club AFC Wimbledon in protest.

The most popular game in London

There are so many teams in and around London. Clubs including QPR, Watford, and Brentford as well as more recognizable clubs, West Ham, Spurs, Arsenal, and south London clubs, Crystal Palace and Millwall to name a few. It’s easy to see why Londoners are so passionate about a game in which their city lives and breathes?

In every corner of London, you can never be far away from a home ground of a professional London club. Everywhere you go, football is relevant, and how could it not be? Instilled from a young age, football to the people of London is not just a game, but a way of life.

When I was young. I used to play cage football a lot, kick around in the streets. No matter when, wherever, just to make sure I was kicking a ball, doing something with a ball,

Callum Hudson-Odoi

London is a melting pot

London like other parts of the UK has become a melting pot of ethnic backgrounds. It has the most diverse ethnicity in the UK.

40.2% of people identify themselves as belonging to either Asian, Black, Mixed, or another ethnic group living in greater London.

In the south London boroughs, populations are large. Lewisham, Lambeth, and Southwark all have over 300,000 in population. With the cost of housing soaring around London it has caused this same area to push families further into poverty.

Southwark has the highest level of child poverty at 43.1%. Other South London boroughs rank in the top 20 of the highest poverty areas of Britain. 42.6% in Lambeth, 42% in Greenwich, and 39% in Lewisham of children who live below the poverty line.

This leaves kids fending for themselves. Parents have to work many hours or multiple jobs in order to maintain rent, buy food, transport, and other vitals.

Neighborhoods

The south London football landscape is littered with areas of fenced-in schoolyards, playing areas, parks, etc. These areas have become known as “Cages“.

At the last count the area stretching from the boroughs of Richmond and Kingston in the west to Greenwich, Bromley and Bexley in the east had a population of 2.8m people – about 5.2% of England’s population – and more than 10% of English players to have played in the Premier League this season originate from south London.

The Guardian, 2018

With diversity, streets in close proximity, and high levels of poverty, football becomes the central commonality that everyone can relate to.

These cages act as a focal point for the young residents to congregate. When they start impromptu games it allows expression, show off skill sets, and own local bragging rights.

With common ground between these young residents comes a breeding ground for excitement, creativity, competitive edge, bravery. Before you know it, they become very well-rounded soccer players.

Youngsters who dream of one day battling it out in the Premier League are likely to come from London. Or more specifically hail from the south London area. This area in many ways is the perfect breeding ground for the world’s next big talents.

Emerging talent from South London

The current England National team can be a fantastic reference to see who’s hails from the streets of London.

The likes of Jadon Sancho (Man Utd), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham United), Tammy Abraham (Roma, Italy), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Man. Utd.) Ryan Sessegnon (Liverpool), Ademola Lookman (RB Leipzig, Germany), and Reiss Nelson (Arsenal) Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea) are all part of this current south London youth movement.

“They used to try and bully us on the pitch, You don’t want to stay on the floor – it’s concrete! you had to get up and play. Where I’m from, you have to fight for everything. You stood up for the fight.”

Ryan Sessegnon, academy at Fulham before joining Spurs in 2019.

There is certainly an argument to say that the English FA’s EPPP has a place in the resurgence of English talent, as does the immigration of families into the country. But this program wouldn’t be what it is without the raw talent honed within cages.

Playing in the cage

A common theme with many of these players is a mix of high-level technical ability and pace. Antonio of West Ham United lived in Wandsworth. He remembers quite candidly, “You’re in there for hours, just for the fun of it. If we didn’t have that sanctuary, I don’t know where we would’ve spent our time”.

Insight into the comment by one of south London’s best soccer players, Antonio demonstrates just how much time was spent playing in cages with his friends. Ryan Sessegnon added that “You don’t want to stay on the floor – it’s concrete. You had to get up and play”.

Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze mentioned that the first thing he thinks about when he remembers playing street football in south London is enjoyment. Something which can be forgotten when playing at the highest level today.

Read More: South Londons all time XI
Watch: South of the River, a DocuSeries about South London Soccer

Rio Ferdinand, himself from the Peckham area, explains that the likes of Smith-Rowe (Arsenal and Croyden) that growing up playing in the cages, there’s never a dead ball, it’s always alive. It’s close proximity. Players need to weave their way in and out of people.

A passion to “just play”

Cages show that it’s not about physicality either, You have to produce skills to maneuver past other players big, fast, strong, etc. Players like Smith-Rowe and Nketiah (Lewisham) have to work out different ways to get past people, move up and down the pitch.

He’s like a playground player right there, you get more touches of the ball [in the cages]. The ball never goes out does it? When you’re playing on an open pitch you spend half the time going and getting the ball!

Rio Ferdinand, Man Utd and England defender from Peckham, London.

From cages in local estates to large fields, footballing opportunities are everywhere in soccer prevalent countries.

Playground soccer: The future?

In London you can never be far away from football pitches, parks, cages, or a facility, kids are playing on any surface or area.

Is this the blueprint for the future success of the England team? There is certainly an argument for that, England in recent competitions have been semi-finalists in the FIFA World Cup, and runners-up in the European Championships, a first final for this nation since 1966.

Read More: 5 Books to help you become a better soccer coach

There’s probably another argument for those countries and cultures that don’t have this type of opportunity. Living in the United States, it can be easily observed that this doesn’t happen as much. You would certainly see more impromptu basketball games than soccer. The States has certainly improved in getting the game to the masses and with, for the most part, access to good coaching. But the nature in which the young players in London use every available waking moment to hone their skills on a tarmac court hasn’t found its way to the States yet.

Hackney Marshes, A large swath of soccer fields in London, has been traditionally the testing ground of future stars of the game. Saturday and Sunday mornings all 82 pitches will be filled with an age range of 7 through 50-year-olds playing football.

Defiant spirits

One thing is for certain. London is a city that has an overwhelming love for football, one that is celebrated and cherished by such a wide range of people. It is the beating heart of many young people growing up in the city, an activity that brings so many people together. Young people growing up with exposure to the world’s greatest game can only be provided in a city like London.

Rio Ferdinand sums it up with, “It’s the perfect encapsulation of the aspirational and defiant spirit of south London and a reminder that football reflects society at large”.

Cultures trying to just copy the small-sided games arent understanding the wider issues. The reason that we have seen so many players come from the South London area is because of, Culture, poverty lines, passion, and they want to have a ball at their feet all the time. Additionally, these games are borne organically with player-centered loose rules. Players play against any age without mum and dad worrying about size, build, and speed. An inherent want to compete and win, having a community fabric of footballing culture, historical and a generational love for the game. These qualities are natural and take years to become ingrained. Simply trying to duplicate takes all that away.

Can this be replicated by imitating the format? no, it comes from the very fabric of who they are, their heritage, and community makeup.

A selection of top South London football current players

South London districts with Croydon making up a large proportion of players. Other areas such as Lewisham, Wandsworth and Camberwell produce a large crop of players.

Map Credit: meonthemap.co.uk

Joe Aribo:
Area: Camberwell Club: Rangers FC, Scotland

Aaron Wan-Bissaka:
Area: Croydon Club: Manchester United

Callum Hudson-Odoi:
Area: Wandsworth Club: Chelsea

Tammy Abraham:
Area: Camberwell Club: A.S Roma, Italy

Jadon Sancho:
Area: Kennington Club: Manchester United

Ruben Loftus-Cheek:
Area: Lewisham Club: Chelsea

Ian Carlo Povado-Ocampo:
Area: Southwark Club: Blackburn Rovers

Reiss Nelson:
Area: Elephant & Castle Club: Fayenoord, Holland

Declan Rice:
Area: Kingston-Upon-Thames Club: West Ham United

Ademola Lookman:
Area: Wandsworth Club: Leicester City

Eddie Nketiah:
Area: Lewisham Club: Arsenal

Joe Gomez:
Area: Catford Club: Liverpool FC

Emile Smith-Rowe:
Area: Croydon Club: Arsenal

Patrick Roberts:
Area: Kingston-Upon-Thames Club: Sunderland AFC

Ryan Sessegnon:
Area: Roehampton Club: Tottenham Hotspur

Ola Aina:
Area: Southwark Club: Torino, Italy

Jonathan Panzo:
Area: Brockley Club: Nottingham Forest

Trevoh Chalobah:
Area: Gipsy Hill, Lambeth Club: Chelsea

Kasey Palmer:
Area: Lewisham Club: Bristol City

Eberechi Eze:
Area: Greenwich Club: Crystal Palace

Nathaniel Clyne:
Area: Stockwell Club: Crystal Palace FC

Joshua Maja:
Area: Lewisham Club: Stoke City FC

Michail Antonio:
Area: Wandsworth Club: West Ham United

Marcus McGuane:
Area: Greenwich Club: Oxford United

Marcus Bettinelli:
Area: Camberwell Club: Chelsea

Tashan Oakley-Boothe:
Area: Lambeth Club: Stoke City

Jake Clarke-Salter:
Area: Carshalton, Sutton Club: Coventry

Steven Sessegnon:
Area: Roehampton Club: Fulham

Ezri Konsa:
Area: Newham Club: Aston Villa