A hard-hitting, heartbreaking new film has been released to highlight the devastating impact top-flight soccer, aka football, academies have on young men when they drop those who don’t make it and give them no mental health support to deal with what is often a life-changing and traumatic decision.
The beautifully shot but harrowing four-minute film, Dropped, exposes the harsh reality of the mental health issues currently running rampant in youth football, where children are brutally rejected at what is often the most vulnerable time of their young lives. The film tackles the impact of being deemed not good enough and highlights how the young hopefuls can be left feeling so heartbroken by rejection that some want to end their lives.
More than three-quarters of academy players are dropped between the ages of 13 and 16. Often, this happens with no warning and no support. Just 0.012% of academy players will ever turn professional.
The eye-opening film is the brainchild of former Fulham FC academy player Max Noble, who was dropped at a young age after needing double knee surgery. It was made for the non-profit sports activism organization he founded, Certified Sports, which is demanding that aftercare be made a legal duty for all professional football academies and was produced pro bono by House 337’s Rob Sanderson who was recently shortlisted by British Young Arrows as best director for the film. .
“Being dropped at such a vulnerable point in my life left me suffering from severe depression and anxiety,” said Max Noble, “but my story is far from unique. Many young people are suddenly released from their contracts having built their entire lives and identities around football, sacrificing schooling, friends and family for the chance to ‘make it’.
“This brutal rejection of young people has to stop right now and clubs need to address the mental health issues that are running unchecked in youth football,” he said.
The film bleakly outlines the catastrophic effect on some of the 99% of academy players released from their contracts – with many feeling so devastated by their crushed dreams and lack of aftercare that they feel they have nothing left to live for. With no help to seek alternative careers and non-existent mental health support, the film shows how abandoned and lost these vulnerable young people are when released from their contracts.
In the film we hear their voices detail the deep depressions they fell into because of the lack of aftercare support, and how some contemplated taking their own lives – interspersed with newspaper clippings of fellow former academy footballers who tragically succeeded.
Jeremy Wisten, who was 18 when he took his own life after being dropped by Manchester City’s academy, and Josh Lyons, a former Tottenham Hotspur academy player who killed himself aged 18 after being let go, are among those to have suffered in recent years.
Dropped finishes with a call to action from Certified Sports demanding that aftercare for former players is made a legal duty for ALL professional football academies.
Director Sanderson said, “The voices in the film are from the rare few who have found someone they can open up to. Shame, guilt and embarrassment normally keep these stories in the dark, but these testimonies are the norm, not the exception. Young people are led to sacrifice their education and futures by adults that are fully aware of the potential damage they are inflicting on them. Campaigns like Max’s, and the rise in awareness in mental health within football, will hopefully force these academies to finally take responsibility.”
Dropped debuts across Certified Sports social channels and the website.
CreditsClient Certified Sports Production House 337 Robert Sanderson, director/producer/editor; Richard William Preisner, DP; Kabir Malock, Max Noble, producers; Melody Sylvester, exec producer. Editorial Sam Hopkins, editor. Postproduction Kabbage Kabir Malik, post producer. Color Grade Big Buoy Stacia Akaba, grade producer. Sound Design & Composition Octa Audio, Jack Rowley, sound designer/composer. VFX Stone Dogs Brian Carbin, Joe West, VFX. Design Andy Mcguigan. Thanks to: Sabrina May, Georgina Moxey, Ollie Campbell
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More