Perhaps the most crucial element of the programme delivered to young footballers at the Academy of Football is to prepare them for careers both in and out of football.
Liam Parrington’s football career began at Chadwell Heath, but aspirations of making it as a professional player were cut short and the former Hammers and England Youth defender had to look at alternate professions.
Despite not achieving his dream of becoming a professional footballer, Parrington was still determined to pursue a career in the sport he loved. He set up his own company, Stateside Today, to help young sportsmen and women who have had a similar journey to him.
Despite his journey in football, Parrington still looks back on his time in East London with great fondness.
He reflected: “I have an older brother and I think that it’s natural that you follow in your brothers’ footsteps. He was two years older than me, and he loved football so I started to play too. I played a lot with him, but I properly got into football at around the age of seven or eight.
“It’s a funny story because West Ham originally scouted me when I was nine, but my mum turned it down because I was still very young. At that age I didn’t really know much about it and I continued to play football at the weekends, I was playing a year or two up. My Sunday league team did well and we won various trophies which led to me joining the best team in my area.
“At that stage I was a striker, but I slowly moved back through the positions and I ended up at centre back. A scout named Paul Senior took me to West Ham and I did a few training sessions. I was so nervous to start with, I wasn’t sure what to do and I felt a bit like a fish out of water. I started to get to grips with things and play better though, and fortunately the club decided to sign me.
“I had a great couple years from U14s to U16s. We won the Nike Premier Cup and I was selected for the England squad which was a fantastic achievement. Things seemed to be going really well for me.”
A CHANGE IN COURSE
Despite a positive start to his West Ham career, things took a turn for Parrington at the age of 16 despite the Hammers offering him a scholarship.
The defender departed West Ham at the end of his deal, with no option to turn professional on the table, and would sign for Basingstoke Town. After a year with the ‘Stoke, Parrington’s football career took another twist.
“When I started my scholarship, that was the moment things changed,” Parrington evaluated. “I’m still not completely sure what it was, perhaps I lost some confidence as some of the players around me were extremely good, but whatever it was, something changed for me. It was a difficult period for me at the club and consequently I was never offered a professional contract.
“I left West Ham and signed for Basingstoke. They were in the Conference South and I spent a year with them, whilst working for my dad in his car business. Someone came to me and mentioned about going to America to play football on a scholarship programme. I didn’t know anything about it, but I thought it was worth a try and I took the opportunity with both hands.
“I went over to Syracuse in New York and I spent two years there. The team was doing well and individually, I did really well too, and I ended up winning the national player of the year award. That gave me a lot of recognition which led to me going to another school for two years.
“I was enjoying my football but I just missed out on the MLS draft. Injuries didn’t help me but things didn’t quite work out. Fortunately, I studied a business degree at the same time and I had a fantastic experience in America.”
HELPING OTHERS
As a result of such an enjoyable four years in America, Parrington founded his very own company, Stateside Today, when he returned to the UK.
The company provides talented sportspeople the opportunity to continue playing the sport they love, whilst also gaining a higher-education degree at a US college. Parrington’s experiences shaped the company, having been through the process himself.
Parrington has also continued his career in football and is now a professional phase lead coach at Bracknell Town.
“I came back to England and I started up Stateside Today. The company basically gave kids the same journey that I had been on. We send players to America on scholarships. I was a product of it, and I loved my time in America so it just made sense.
“I took one of my friends with me who had previously been my teammate at West Ham and he had a similar journey to me. He has actually stayed in America and he’s now married with kids so things have worked out for him.
“I tried to continue playing football as well, I got back into non-league but it didn’t quite work out for me. I suffered an injury which ruled me out for over a year so I put all of my focus into my work. I always wanted to be involved in football in some capacity and if you fast forward to where I am now, I have achieved that.
“I am currently at Bracknell Football Club; I do a lot of work with the Academy and I am the equivalent of the Academy director. We also have an international section where we have eight to twelve players from all over the world who come to train with us and we have a pathway for them to get into our senior team which is really great, and something that we are really proud of.
“Although I didn’t make it as a player in football, I am still very involved in the sport, just in a different capacity, whether that’s coaching at Bracknell or helping young footballers with Stateside Today.”
Some footballers struggle when their playing careers end, but Parrington suggested that his journey allowed him to stay grounded and to be prepared for the end of his playing career.
“It was quite easy for me when I dropped out of the game,” Parrington continued. “I was never a professional and I was never earning lots of money. I was close to reaching it professionally, but I was never right on the verge. My parents were really good with me, they always spoke to me about the importance of having a backup plan.
“I was fortunate to have that because I prepared for different situations, I knew when I was playing football that if it didn’t work out then I would have something to fall back on. Whereas I know other people don’t prepare for such a scenario, which leads to difficulties when they drop out of football. Football is all I ever wanted, but my journey made it easier for me to make the transition when things didn’t work out for me as a player.”
ADVICE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
Keen to reflect on his time in East London, Parrington outlined that he had learned a lot during his time at Chadwell Heath that set him up for the rest of his career, both in and out of football.
The former West Ham player was also keen to share his regret of not making the most of his time at a professional Academy, and he was eager to encourage young players to pick the brains of their Academy coaches.
“The advice that I would offer any Academy player is to give it your all, but make sure you have an alternative option. I wanted to become a professional footballer, but as I have said, I had something to fall back on when things didn’t work out, and that made transitioning easier.
“Another piece of advice that I would give is to be confident, both on and off the pitch. One regret that I have is not asking the coaches questions about what I needed to do to improve. Always push yourself to improve and speaking to coaches about your development is vital, and that is something I didn’t do which I look back on with regret.
“My time at West Ham taught me a lot about life experiences. I was pushed out of my comfort zone and that is something that has stuck with me. Doing the bare minimum isn’t enough, always push yourself to do a bit extra.”
Parrington retains a soft spot for West Ham United and remains in touch with former mentors from the Academy of Football- even paying a visit to Chadwell Heath in 2019.
“I always keep up with West Ham’s results. After my time at the Club, I will always have a bit of a soft spot for them. It’s a club that does things right, that does things the West Ham way. I popped down before the pandemic and it was so nice to see how many faces were still around the club. They were always the people that I saw pushing the club in the right direction during my time at West Ham and it is no surprise to me that they are still there. They are the foundation of the club.”
