Football Icon
Encyclopedia
Football Icon was a British
television programme shown on Sky One
. The programme gave young, unsigned football players between the ages of 16 and 18 a chance to win a contract with the then Premiership
champions, Chelsea
. Thousands of players who entered were whittled down to fourteen finalists, all of whom were put to the test at their Cobham
training ground
. The players were eliminated week by week until only the final three remained, when then-manager José Mourinho
and his staff selected a winner.
. After two seasons in the youth team at Stamford Bridge, Hurrell was released in the close season of 2007. He has gone on to play for semi-professional teams St Albans City
, Welling United
, , Woking
, Boreham Wood
and is currently playing for New Orleans Jesters.
broadcast a new programme called Football's Next Star
. The show has a very similar format to Football Icon with the winning player earning a contract at Mourinho's old club, Internazionale
.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
television programme shown on Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
. The programme gave young, unsigned football players between the ages of 16 and 18 a chance to win a contract with the then Premiership
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
champions, Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
. Thousands of players who entered were whittled down to fourteen finalists, all of whom were put to the test at their Cobham
Cobham, Surrey
Cobham is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, about south-west of central London and north of Leatherhead. Elmbridge has been acclaimed by the Daily Mail as the best place to live in the UK, and Cobham is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt...
training ground
Cobham Training Centre
The Cobham Training Centre is the state of the art training ground of Chelsea Football Club located in Stoke d'Abernon near Cobham, Surrey. The Chelsea first team have trained at Cobham since 2005, but it was not officially opened until 2007.-History:...
. The players were eliminated week by week until only the final three remained, when then-manager José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
and his staff selected a winner.
Football Icon 1
Football Icon 1 began in June 2005, and 5,000 young footballers took part. The series was won by Chelsea fan Sam Hurrell, who was attending Vyners SchoolVyners School
Vyners School is a secondary comprehensive school and specialist mathematics & computing college in Ickenham within the London Borough of Hillingdon.The current Head teacher is Susan Gould, who took over on 1 September 2007.- History :...
. After two seasons in the youth team at Stamford Bridge, Hurrell was released in the close season of 2007. He has gone on to play for semi-professional teams St Albans City
St Albans City F.C.
St Albans City Football Club is a football club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. It was founded in 1908 and plays its home matches at Clarence Park, about 800 yards from the city centre. The club is in the Premier Division of the Southern League...
, Welling United
Welling United F.C.
Welling United Football Club are an English football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley. They currently play in the Conference South. The 2010–11 season was not a good one for them as the club had financial problems, nearly going bankrupt but lots of supporters chipped in and...
, , Woking
Woking F.C.
Woking Football Club is a football club from in Woking, Surrey, England, formed in 1889. They are playing in the Conference South in the 2011–12 season. For the 2011/2012 season, Woking are sharing their ground with Conference National club Hayes & Yeading United.-Promotion to the...
, Boreham Wood
Boreham Wood F.C.
Boreham Wood F.C. are a football club based in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, at Meadow Park football ground. They were established in 1948, and have reached the FA Cup 2nd Round proper twice in their history. For 2011-12 they will play in Conference South...
and is currently playing for New Orleans Jesters.
Football's Next Star
In January 2010 Sky OneSky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
broadcast a new programme called Football's Next Star
Football's Next Star
Football's Next Star is a television programme broadcast on Sky1 in the United Kingdom, which was first won by Ben Greenhalgh. The show aims to find a young football player who could be the "next big thing" and reward them with a professional contract at Inter Milan in Italy.The series of seven...
. The show has a very similar format to Football Icon with the winning player earning a contract at Mourinho's old club, Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
.