It is a cold December morning and a group of about 30 boys are waiting anxiously in a marquee at Sholing FC, a non-league club on the outskirts of Southampton. A introductory speech is about to start. Christmas is just a couple of days away but these youngsters, aged between 15-18, have something else on their minds: the chance to potentially become the next Levi Colwill.
If anyone is in doubt about whether they’re at the right venue they will feel reassured by the TV screen at the front of the room with a picture of the Chelsea and England defender on it, along with the words “The Levi Colwill Academy”.
Chelsea may be a place where Colwill has developed a strong emotional connection, having been there since under-9 level, but arguably his biggest bond is with a team that plays in the seventh tier of English football.
In June he joined the Sholing board as an associate director. A few months later he was revealed as the sponsor of the team’s home and away kit — the name of his foundation, the LSC Project (LSC being the initials of his name Levi Samuels Colwill), is on the front. Two months ago it was confirmed that the club were going to have a new 3G pitch installed next year. The person funding the £750,000 cost in full? Levi Colwill.
But Colwill wants to do more.
Colwill playing for England in October (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
He grew up nearby in the St Mary’s area of Southampton, and watched his uncles Barry, Byron and Daniel Mason play here. In 2014, he was the club mascot at Wembley when Barry and Byron helped Sholing FC win the FA Vase Trophy. So now, as well as providing money, the 21-year-old is creating an academy at Sholing, officially launching next September, so that youngsters in the area can develop playing careers and get education which could lead to other jobs in the sport.
Which is why The Athletic is here at the first open trial (there will be more during the school holidays in the new year) as academy manager and joint first-team manager Ross White addresses the boys. After a brief rundown of his coaching background he asks the attendees how many young footballers make it from grassroots level to the Premier League. A few respond with a very small number but none are as small as the answer provided: 0.012 per cent.
It is a reality check but one they have to know. Besides, it is all about making those first steps, including towards a potential pathway to Sholing’s first team. Each successful candidate will have a two-year placement with the academy, which will involve training three mornings a week and a match every Wednesday. There will also be academic study through the partnership established with Juniper Education, which will take place in the afternoons.
White is aware that all the individuals in front of him just want to get their boots on and start kicking a ball around, so soon enough they are on a pitch behind the club’s ground trying to prove what they can do. Colwill is not able to attend as he is on Chelsea duty but the family are well represented. One of the coaching staff is his uncle Daniel, scorer of a remarkable 296 goals for Sholing’s first team. Watching from the sidelines is Debra, Colwill’s proud mother. Her younger son and Levi’s brother Jayvon is joining in the session too.
Colwill’s uncle Daniel Mason, Sholing’s incoming academy coach (Simon Johnson)
Debra explains Levi’s commitment to Sholing. “Any time Levi gets a chance for some time off from Chelsea, say if he’s playing on a Sunday and he’s not playing on Saturday, he will be here watching his uncles. That is how it has always been for many, many years.
“Sholing has always been a big part of our life, especially as my brothers have never wanted to leave. They have had chances to do so but they won’t because it’s a family unit here. It is different. If you see them just doing their normal socialising after the games, you’ll understand. It’s very, very family orientated. All the guys and their families, we all interact together.
“Levi’s been with Chelsea since he was 8, so as he’s got older and older, the more you heard people around the place say, ‘Levi’s at the game, Levi’s at the game.’ I suppose his profile’s just got bigger and he has always wanted to give back.”
As we talk, an 11-a-side game is taking place, with substitutes waiting patiently nearby on the sidelines for their chance to shine. Our conversation is interrupted as one teenager hits a superb shot from outside of the area and it clips the top of the crossbar.
Debra continues: “Levi has come from a generation where we struggled, things were not given to you on a plate. He knows that not all people can afford it. In this day and age, things just cost (so much), even a kit. You don’t realise how much football strips or the fees are just to be involved with a normal local youth team.
“I have realised just how much a parent has got to do just to support their child in their dream. That’s hard for a parent, especially a lone parent who does not have much money — they may also find it hard to work because they have got little ones to look after.
“That’s what Levi is focusing on — people who struggle to afford it. He just wants to give them that little help. It is his passion. At Christmas, we go to help the homeless, we give food. It’s just something we have drilled into him that it’s always good to give back.
Colwill’s uncle Daniel in a huddle with the players (Simon Johnson)
“We are hoping to get some good players out of the academy and if not, then just giving people time to just play is beneficial. Not everyone is going to make it, but people just love to play football. At least they are getting out, getting a bit of education, socialising, speaking to people.
“I have always taught Levi to invest in property and things. I have drilled it into him all his life. That’s been my main priority to make sure that he’s got something after all this. Levi’s not shy of putting in money where it’s needed. But it is not to get his name on a stand or anything like that. He does it for the team.”
The trial is over and chief executive Paul Knott and Daniel Mason head to the cosy boardroom, with a signed Colwill Chelsea shirt, to debrief about how the exercise went. Sholing are looking for up to 40 players, certainly enough for two teams. There are six or seven names from this first session already earmarked for an academy berth.
Knott reveals that Colwill’s foundation will also provide hour-long coaching sessions for free on Saturday morning’s from next summer for kids from under-7 upwards. What makes this all the more impressive is Colwill first approached the Sholing board about starting to provide financial support a few months before he was given a new contract and a pay rise in August 2023.
“Levi can be himself here,” Mason says when asked why his nephew has such affection for Sholing. “Even when he started to get a bit more famous, people just treated him as Levi and not this ‘Premier League footballer’.
Colwill’s signed shirt at Sholing (Simon Johnson)
“A lot of people say they are going to do things and never do, but Levi is a man of his word. He wanted to give back and it shows what kind of person he is. When you grow up in a council estate, quite a rough area, you don’t really have many things to do. When he was growing up all the football cages were being taken away, youth clubs were shutting down. The only thing you could do is play football with friends but it was hard to do that because you have lots of signs saying ‘no ball games’ around.
“So if you want to be coached by decent people, it is either going to cost you a lot of money or there is travel involved, which not everyone can do. That’s why he wants to give kids the opportunity who don’t have the chance to travel or be coached.’
Colwill has spent more than one summer getting ready for pre-season at Chelsea by working out with Sholing. Knott revealed how one unfortunate trialist, who played in attack, could not believe it when he realised that one of the defenders he had to get past was a regular for Chelsea’s first team.
The shirt sponsorship announcement in August saw Colwill make another visit to Sholing to promote it. “He had literally just got back from the pre-season tour in USA with Chelsea,” Knott says. “He had his suitcase with him and everything. He just got changed into the shirt and posed for the pictures.”
OUR NEW KIT IS HERE! 🔥
Sponsored by the Levi Samuels Colwill Project – More information on this will be released soon!
We have a small amount of stock available for purchase at our home against Totton on Tuesday.
Prices are £45 for Adults and £38 for Juniors
Our current… pic.twitter.com/Mu0SaQTS1E
— Sholing FC (@sholingfc) August 9, 2024
Not that Colwill has as far to travel to the Sholing stadium these days. He made the decision to move back to the family’s home in Southampton, rather than live on his own near Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham, Surrey.
“Family for us is everything,” Mason admits. “Levi is a big family person. When he was living in Esher you could tell he was missing home. I would go up to see him every other weekend, you could see the difference when I did. He was a lot happier. When he talked about moving back and commuting, it made a lot of sense. It only takes an hour (to Cobham) and he is 10 times happier being around his family every day.”
It is certainly showing in his football. Colwill has been a regular in Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea side that is thriving near the top of the table and he looks bound to be part of the England squad as they try to qualify for the next World Cup.
“You cannot put into words how proud I am of him,” Mason concludes. “I am a football fan anyway, watching Premier League and international games, so to then have a family member involved in both is kind of surreal. Sometimes I will sit back and think I have seen him at Wembley and Stamford Bridge a number of times and his career is just at the start. I flew to Georgia to watch him win the European Championships Under-21s final (England beat Spain 1-0, July 2023). Sometimes it is like a ‘pinch me’ kind of thing.
“We will all feel the most proud after he has retired and can look back on all his achievements. He makes us proud every day, he makes the whole city proud even though he does not play for Southampton.”
Colwill’s extracurricular efforts with Sholing will surely make the community feel it even more strongly.
GO DEEPER
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