For footballers up and down the U.K., the start of a new season is filled with hope. But for some, the big kick-off is just another reminder that their own dream is over.
There are usually more than 10,000 boys in football's youth development system at any one time, and between 3,000 and 4,000 associated with Premier League clubs. Of those who join academies at the earliest possible opportunity aged 9, less than 1% go on to make a living out of the game. Many are released having known nothing else but football, and the summer months are spent desperately seeking another avenue back in or facing up to the realisation that they are not destined to be the next Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.