Ezra Mayers' steady rise through the West Ham United Academy reached another landmark this summer, as the young centre-back was selected to join the senior squad for their pre-season training camp in Germany.
A Hammer since the age of nine, Mayers’ professional attitude and consistency on the pitch have seen him quietly grow into a leader among his peers. In 2023/24, his progress was recognised with the Dylan Tombides Award, presented annually to the Academy’s outstanding scholar, and by his second year as a scholar, he had not only stepped up to the U21s but also found himself named on the first-team bench for West Ham's Premier League clash with Arsenal at London Stadium in November 2024.
“We were away at Manchester United with the U21s when I got the call,” he recalled. “I’d missed a call from Robbo [lead coach Mark Robson], so I rang him back and he told me, ‘Ezra, you’re with the first team, mate.’ He said I’d only be playing 45 minutes that day before heading straight back to London. That whole day, I couldn’t really think of anything else.
“After the game I went home, and the next morning, a driver came to pick me up as I didn’t have my licence at the time! I met the team at London Stadium, and my family got tickets to come and watch. Even though I knew I probably wasn’t going to come on, just warming up in front of that many fans was surreal. It’s something I definitely want to experience again.”
Despite transitioning into the U21s set up last season, Mayers was still eligible to represent the U18s, playing a crucial role in their first ever U18 Premier League Cup triumph. Among his many contributions in their title-winning campaign, Mayers denied Manchester United’s Jayce Fitzgerald from a certain goal with a last-ditch recovery tackle in the 90th minute in their quarter final tie, which they eventually won on penalties.
@westham Take a bow, Ezra Mayers 👏 #WestHam #Tackle #Football ♬ original sound - 
“That U18 group was really special. I’d been with a lot of the lads and with Lauris [Coggin] for three or four years, and something just clicked last season. We’d worked so hard, so it felt like a matter of time before we won something.
“By the time we got to the final against Reading, I just had that expectation that we would win. Even when they equalised, no one panicked. We stuck together and pushed forward, and when [Josh] Ajala scored the winner, it was just a brilliant feeling. Celebrating with the team afterwards was the perfect end to a great campaign.”
The next chapter in Mayers’ journey brought him full circle. Half-German on his mother’s side, the 18-year-old was among a select group of Academy players – including fellow U18 Premier League Cup winners Preston Fearon, Airidas Golambeckis, Emeka Adiele and Lanre Awesu – to join the first team for their pre-season tour of Germany.
He explained: “The facilities were incredible, the food was amazing, but the intensity of training was the biggest step up. You’re surrounded by experienced professionals, and the level is just higher across the board. But I thought I coped well.
“I hadn’t been to Germany in a while, so it was nice to be back, try some familiar food, and speak a bit of the language. I didn’t get to use it loads, but if fans or waiters spoke to me in German, I’d respond, and they’d do a double take! One fan asked me to sign a shirt, and when I replied to them in German, they were taken aback. That was quite funny.
“Overall, the trip was just a really enjoyable experience, something I’ll take a lot from moving forward.”
