Sky Documentaries announces gripping new docuseries exploring the next generation of football superstars

• Chasing the Dream will follow a cast of talented young players as they battle the odds and the obstacles of trying to make their dreams a reality
• The intimate and dramatic series explores South London’s reputation for being a hotbed of football talent – at one point 20% of English Premier League players came from the area – and will be produced by award-winning independent production company, Expectation

Sky today announces a gripping Sky Original docuseries from Expectation, Chasing the Dream, which follows promising young football players from South London as they enter the most critical time in their fledgling sporting careers. Produced by BAFTA and RTS award-winning indie, Expectation, in association with Sky Studios, the 4x60 minutes series will air on Sky Documentaries and NOW TV in 2022.

Filmed over the course of eighteen months, Chasing the Dream takes us to the epicentre of British footballing talent – South London. Here, young players battle the odds in fenced-in, artificial pitches known as “the cages”, that occupy unlikely corners of towering council estates.

In this tough environment, the stakes are high as young players use their talent in the hope of securing a better life for themselves and for their families.

Alongside the players, the series centres the voices of pivotal influences in the tight knit world of South London football. From the scouts, agents and coaches who nurture talent, to the player’s families and those who stand shoulder to shoulder on the pitch. In Chasing the Dream, we see that for these young players, football is not just a dream, but the only way out.

Commissioned by Zai Bennett, Managing Director of Content and Poppy Dixon, Director of Documentaries and Factual, the series is a Sky Original documentary series and reinforces Sky’s ambition to provide customers with a destination for world class, premium factual TV. NBCUniversal Global Distribution will handle international sales of the series.

Poppy Dixon, Director of Documentaries and Factual, Sky said: “We’re so proud to be able to share the powerful stories of these young players from South London along with the voices of their families and those nurturing their talent. Audiences will experience the heart-warming and dramatic journeys of these footballers, daring to change theirs and their families’ lives through the beautiful game. Chasing the Dream will join a host of compelling, must-see documentaries from award-winning film makers on Sky Documentaries.”

Colin Barr, Creative Director, Factual & Factual Drama, Expectation said: “South London is known as “the concrete Catalonia” for a reason and it’s amazing to get the chance to tell the stories of young players trying to hit the big leagues. We’ll witness the wins and the losses, the joy and the heartache. It’s the side of football we never see, and we can’t wait to bring audiences this gripping series.”

Sky Documentaries, Sky Nature and the rebranded Sky HISTORY joined Sky Crime this May as the home of exclusive documentaries for all Sky and NOW TV customers at no extra cost. The services offer on demand libraries with hundreds of hours of factual programming, providing an unmissable mix of premium, original commissions and acquired content.

If you are an upcoming footballer based in South London and between the ages of 14 and 17, contact football@expectationtv.com.

For further information, please contact: hephzibah.kwakyesaka@sky.uk / jessica.gray@sky.uk

About Sky

Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Across six countries, we connect our 24 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own award-winning original content.

Our technology, including the market leading Sky Q, connects people to everything they love - TV, music, games, online video, fitness and educational content, all in one place, easy. Our streaming service, NOW TV, brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service.

Building on the success of Sky Originals like Chernobyl, I Hate Suzie and Brassic, we are doubling our investment in original content by 2024 through Sky Studios. Sky News provides impartial and trustworthy journalism for free, while Sky Arts, the UK’s only dedicated free-to-air arts channel, makes the arts accessible for everyone. Our new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, is expected to create over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in the UK over the first five years alone.

We believe that we can be a force for good in the communities in which we operate. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030. We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion: we’ve been recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity and we’ve put in place a new programme to invest £30million across our markets over the next three years to tackle racial injustice.

About NOW TV

NOW TV is a leading UK streaming service, giving you the best TV, box sets, movies, sports and kids entertainment whenever, and wherever, you want it. Pick from the range of content passes including Entertainment, Sky Cinema, Sky Sports, Kids and reality TV with hayu.

You can stream content to watch through the NOW TV app, available on over 60 devices including the NOW TV Smart Stick and Smart Box and even download your favourite shows and movies to watch on the go.

NOW TV is the home of the best new and original British comedies, Oscar, BAFTA, and Emmy award winning dramas, Sky Originals and movies. NOW TV customers can enjoy over 30 new movies every month and Sky Atlantic shows, without a contract.

Sports fans can enjoy all the action across all 11 Sky Sports channels through day, week or month passes.

NOW TV also offers great value reliable broadband as a standalone contract-free service with NOW Broadband

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About Expectation

Expectation launched in February 2017 as a multi-genre, independent production company covering both scripted and non-scripted programming. Led by Peter Fincham and Tim Hincks, in the last three years Expectation has built an enviable reputation for creating new drama, factual drama, factual, comedy and entertainment programming as well as breaking new talent.

Under Creative Director Factual and Factual Drama, Colin Barr, it has produced a raft of factual documentaries and formats including: critically acclaimed 25 Siblings and Me (BBC Three); Murder 24/7 (BBC Two); Why Dad Killed Mum: My Family’s Secret (BBC One); A Black and White Killing: The Case that Shook America (BBC Two); Epidemic: NHS in Crisis (Channel 4); Superkids: Breaking Away from Care (Channel 4); The Chef’s Brigade (BBC Two); Reggie Yates: Searching for Grenfell’s Lost Lives (BBC Two); In the Face of Terror (BBC Two); Travels in Trumpland with Ed Balls (BBC Two) and it’s follow up series, Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls (BBC Two). It is currently in production with three-part series, The Fall of the House of Maxwell (w/t) for BBC Two.