{"id":477525,"date":"2026-04-17T17:06:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T16:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/?p=477525"},"modified":"2026-04-17T18:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T17:39:13","slug":"how-southwark-street-footballers-are-signing-up-to-top-clubs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/news\/community\/how-southwark-street-footballers-are-signing-up-to-top-clubs\/","title":{"rendered":"How Southwark street footballers are signing up to top clubs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Southwark has become a hotbed of football talent with one grassroots team playing a critical role in mentoring young boys and connecting them with professional scouts, <em>writes Oliver London&#8230;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Southwark Residents FC has not only risen to compete at the highest levels of grassroots football, but has become an important pathway for local talents to enter the professional game.\u00a0<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"69959\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448384\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">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<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>South London has produced world class players such as Marc Guehi (Lewisham), Jadon Sancho (Camberwell), and Ademola Lookman (Peckham).\u00a0 A Guardian journalist dubbed South London &#8216;the concrete Catalonia&#8217; which was quickly picked up by FIFA in its promotion of the World Cup in 2022.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-southwark-news wp-block-embed-southwark-news\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"vdapje2wGsUZxqmrgMNBRhLP1fFlCQyHW5cS3zX8\"><blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"VNcNHUmvw9\"><a href=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/peckham\/african-footballer-of-the-year-grew-up-in-peckham-and-got-straight-as-in-gcses\/\">African footballer of the year grew up in Peckham and got straight As in GCSEs<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;African footballer of the year grew up in Peckham and got straight As in GCSEs&#8221; &#8212; Southwark News\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/peckham\/african-footballer-of-the-year-grew-up-in-peckham-and-got-straight-as-in-gcses\/embed\/#?secret=roliAesp7O#?secret=VNcNHUmvw9\" data-secret=\"VNcNHUmvw9\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In the two years since its inception, Southwark Residents FC have helped seven young south Londoners get signed to some of the capital&#8217;s top professional academies, including category-one academies at Crystal Palace, Fulham, and Spurs.&nbsp;<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"68153\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448385\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtMjE5NDk4NTQ4NiIgY2xhc3M9InNvdXRoLWNvbnRlbnQgc291dGgtZW50aXR5LXBsYWNlbWVudCIgc3R5bGU9Im1hcmdpbi1sZWZ0OiBhdXRvO21hcmdpbi1yaWdodDogYXV0bzt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOiBjZW50ZXI7Ij48IS0tICAvMTU0NzI1MDcwLDIyNjk0MTk2OTY5L3NvdXRod2Fya25ld3Mvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cyAtLT4NCjxkaXYgaWQ9ImRpdi1ncHQtYWQtMngxIj4NCjxzY3JpcHQ+DQpnb29nbGV0YWcuY21kLnB1c2goZnVuY3Rpb24oKSB7IGdvb2dsZXRhZy5kaXNwbGF5KCdkaXYtZ3B0LWFkLTJ4MScpOyB9KTsNCjwvc2NyaXB0Pg0KPC9kaXY+ICAgICAgICAgIDwvZGl2Pg==<\/script>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"426\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-15-155139-426x560.png\" alt=\"Southwark Residents player signs for Fulham academy. Credit: Dean Stanhope.\" class=\"wp-image-477590\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-15-155139-426x560.png 426w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-15-155139-213x280.png 213w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-15-155139-768x1011.png 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-15-155139-111x146.png 111w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-15-155139-750x987.png 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-15-155139.png 937w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 426px) 100vw, 426px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Category-one is the highest status that a football academy can hold, it signifies the highest standard of coaching, facilities and equipment. There are only six category-one academies in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Southwark Residents FC realise that their young players require an outlet to escape from the social pressures of being a south London teenager, as the club\u2019s founder Dean Stanhope was involved in gangs during his childhood in Camberwell.<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"71156\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448386\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtMjAwNDU4ODgyOSIgY2xhc3M9InNvdXRoLWluLWFydGljbGUtbXB1OSBzb3V0aC1lbnRpdHktcGxhY2VtZW50Ij48IS0tICAvMTU0NzI1MDcwLDIyNjk0MTk2OTY5L3NvdXRod2Fya25ld3Mvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cyAtLT4NCjxkaXYgaWQ9ImRpdi1ncHQtYWQtbXB1OSI+DQo8c2NyaXB0Pg0KZ29vZ2xldGFnLmNtZC5wdXNoKGZ1bmN0aW9uKCkgeyBnb29nbGV0YWcuZGlzcGxheSgnZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHU5Jyk7IH0pOw0KPC9zY3JpcHQ+DQo8L2Rpdj4gICAgIDwvZGl2Pg==<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Dean said: \u201cWe\u2019re here to give as many opportunities to kids from my area as we can, whilst keeping them away from street crime and gangs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFootball took me away from a lot of wrong choices when I was young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s why Southwark Residents have such a strong pulling power in south London, I can relate to these kids&#8217; circumstances and help them make the right choices for their future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coach Dean, as he is known to the players, currently works as a scout for Crystal Palace and has been involved in football coaching since he was 16 years old.&nbsp;<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"71157\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448387\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtMjgwMjM3MzI1MiIgY2xhc3M9InNvdXRoLWluLWFydGljbGUtbXB1LTEwIHNvdXRoLWVudGl0eS1wbGFjZW1lbnQiPjwhLS0gIC8xNTQ3MjUwNzAsMjI2OTQxOTY5Njkvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cy9zb3V0aHdhcmtuZXdzIC0tPg0KPGRpdiBpZD0iZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHUxMCI+DQo8c2NyaXB0Pg0KZ29vZ2xldGFnLmNtZC5wdXNoKGZ1bmN0aW9uKCkgeyBnb29nbGV0YWcuZGlzcGxheSgnZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHUxMCcpOyB9KTsNCjwvc2NyaXB0Pg0KPC9kaXY+ICAgICA8L2Rpdj4=<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite limited facilities, Southwark Residents have beaten the odds by reaching the semi-finals of the coveted London cup for two years in a row, with their sights set on eventually taking the trophy home.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coach Dean puts their success down to his team\u2019s mindset: \u201cWe have the south London mentality: we are fearless on the field, technically talented, but sometimes a bit egotistical which is what we are working on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe need our players to take on coaches\u2019 advice, associate with the right people, and avoid getting into fights with their classmates or referees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coach Dean&#8217;s approach to his grassroots side mirrors the professionalism expected at professional football academies, as he asks his prospects to focus on getting their attitude, diet, and focus right so that there is less of a learning curve when they get professional trials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet the success of Southwark Residents FC has not been without tragedy. We reported on the recent <a href=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/walworth\/thousands-gather-on-aylesbury-estate-to-release-balloons-in-memory-of-16-year-old-junior-dean\/\">passing of 16-year-old prospect Junior Dean<\/a>, who Coach Dean described as \u201cOne of the biggest characters in the entire club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-southwark-news wp-block-embed-southwark-news\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"2NG4j6z5AKEqM7cS0tbP8sBJYphWimaCoXykVTewrQ3RUILvunD9lHdxOZf1g\"><blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"d3Dt0qzBww\"><a href=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/walworth\/thousands-gather-on-aylesbury-estate-to-release-balloons-in-memory-of-16-year-old-junior-dean\/\">Thousands gather on Aylesbury Estate to release balloons in memory of 16-year-old Junior Dean<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Thousands gather on Aylesbury Estate to release balloons in memory of 16-year-old Junior Dean&#8221; &#8212; Southwark News\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/walworth\/thousands-gather-on-aylesbury-estate-to-release-balloons-in-memory-of-16-year-old-junior-dean\/embed\/#?secret=zYOI5ritaf#?secret=d3Dt0qzBww\" data-secret=\"d3Dt0qzBww\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe was class on the pitch and with his teammates, he helped us recruit talent in an effort to save his friends from crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAbout three weeks before he passed something switched in his head and he was completely locked in on football, carrying himself like a professional. Had he lived Junior would be picked up by a professional club.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"841\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-20-at-09.11.47-1320x879-1-841x560.jpeg\" alt=\"Junior (third from left) and his Southwark Residents teammates\nCredit: Dean Stanhope\" class=\"wp-image-477545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-20-at-09.11.47-1320x879-1-841x560.jpeg 841w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-20-at-09.11.47-1320x879-1-420x280.jpeg 420w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-20-at-09.11.47-1320x879-1-768x511.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-20-at-09.11.47-1320x879-1-219x146.jpeg 219w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-20-at-09.11.47-1320x879-1-750x499.jpeg 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-20-at-09.11.47-1320x879-1-1140x759.jpeg 1140w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-20-at-09.11.47-1320x879-1.jpeg 1320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Southwark Residents FC held a memorial tournament in honour of Junior Dean after his passing and plan to set up a football mentoring and coaching foundation in his name.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coach Dean set up an online fundraiser for Junior Dean\u2019s family, which has raised 90% of its \u00a355k target so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Donate to the GoFundMe here (all proceeds are going to Junior\u2019s family): <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/tommy-ballaydean-aka-jr-dean\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/tommy-ballaydean-aka-jr-dean<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>For more information about Southwark Residents FC, including trial dates and fixtures, please visit their instagram page <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/southwark_residents\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/southwark_residents\/\">@southwark_residents<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"hFC39xrQkGeFyABKUh8pbiqmXjviS4sPZ6R0ulWxsQj4L6tozkV8eWKgYYMHE1GnJwdM\"><blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@southwarknews\/video\/7542944795421887766\" data-video-id=\"7542944795421887766\" data-embed-from=\"oembed\" style=\"max-width:605px; min-width:325px;\"> <section> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"@southwarknews\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@southwarknews?refer=embed\">@southwarknews<\/a> <p>\u201cI thought that there was only men\u2019s football, no ladies.\u201d ?? Southwark Jaguars have seen a recent surge in popularity with membership numbers rising from 15 to 115 players in just two years.   The inclusive girls football team train on a Monday and Thursday evening in Burgess Park and the girls have a chance to play competitively on a Sunday.  For \u00a3200 per season, girls get access to all training sessions and match kit, compared to the \u00a3700 charged elsewhere in the borough.  <a title=\"girlsfootball\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/girlsfootball?refer=embed\">#girlsfootball<\/a> <a title=\"walworth\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/walworth?refer=embed\">#walworth<\/a> <a title=\"lionesses\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/lionesses?refer=embed\">#lionesses<\/a> <a title=\"southlondon\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/southlondon?refer=embed\">#southlondon<\/a> <a title=\"southwark\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/southwark?refer=embed\">#southwark<\/a> <\/p> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"? original sound - Southwark News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-7542944799733697302?refer=embed\">? original sound &#8211; Southwark News<\/a> <\/section> <\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Southwark has become a hotbed of football talent with one grassroots team playing a critical role in mentoring young boys and connecting them with professional scouts, writes Oliver London&#8230; Southwark Residents FC has not only risen to compete at the highest levels of grassroots football, but has become an important pathway for local talents to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18930,"featured_media":477543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","show_comment_section":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":"8341"},"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7375,13539,13587,13602,8341,13601],"tags":[118,18781,208],"class_list":["post-477525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-featured","category-football","category-news","category-southwark","category-sport","tag-football","tag-junior-dean","tag-southwark"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18930"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477525"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":477962,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477525\/revisions\/477962"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}