What does it take to become a professional footballer at a Premier League club? Football Dreams: The Academy is a new documentary that seeks to illuminate that journey for young footballers. Coming to screens in the United Kingdom this August, it will centre around the youth team of Crystal Palace.
So what is the documentary about exactly, when are episodes available to watch and how can you tune in? GOAL brings you everything you need to know.
What is Football Dreams: The Academy about?
Football Dreams: The Academy is a documentary series about the fortunes of young footballers at the academy of Premier League team Crystal Palace.
A number of youth team players are followed by the documentary makers as they navigate the arduous path that is ahead of anyone who has the aim of becoming a professional footballer.
The documentary features interviews with Palace star Wilfried Zaha, manager Patrick Vieira and the youth team coaches who run the rule over young players' potential, physical attributes and technical abilities as they consider whether to offer them contracts.
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"It is a dream for the majority of kids because they love the game, but just a few of them will make it," says Vieira. "The difference will be how much you want to make it happen. You have to compete, you have to work hard, you have to make sacrifices and you have to be determined. There is nothing smooth."
When is Football Dreams: The Academy released?
The release date for the first episode of Football Dreams: The Academy is August 11, 2022.
How to watch Football Dreams: The Academy
Football Dreams: The Academy is available to watch exclusively on Channel 4.
Channel 4 is a free-to-air public service TV network in the UK and can be accessed on Freeview channel 4 (channel 7 in Wales). It is also available in HD on channel 104 (110 in Wales).
A one-hour delay channel, Channel 4+1, is also avaialble on channel 15, while the network also has its own streaming platform, All 4.
Football Dreams: The Academy trailer
You can watch the trailer for Football Dreams: The Academy in the video below.
Football Dreams: The Academy episodes
Episode | Air date |
|---|---|
1 | August 11, 2022 |
2 | August 18, 2022 |
3 | August 25, 2022 |
4 | September 1, 2022 |
5 | September 8, 2022 |
6 | September 15, 2022 |
There are six episodes in the Football Dreams: The Academy documentary series.
The first episode air date is August 11, 2022 at 9pm. It is being aired on a weekly basis on Thursdays from 9pm BST.