From Croydon to the World Stage ⚽

Kieran Alder
2 days ago
3 min read

Celebrating local talent and footballing journeys from our community

Croydon has a proud history of nurturing talent, and football is no exception. Across parks, school pitches and grassroots clubs, generations of young players have developed their skills, built confidence and chased big ambitions.

What makes it special isn’t just the number of players who’ve made it to the top – it’s the shared starting point. Here are four players whose journeys all connect back to Croydon, each representing our community in their own way.

Djed Spence

Djed Spence’s journey into professional football reflects the energy of south London’s grassroots scene. Growing up in Peckham, he played grassroots football from the age of 6 to 11. He would travel down to Croydon to play for a team called Junior Elite. Coming through the Croydon ranks with former Arsenal & Fulham star Emile Smith-Rowe.

One of his earliest core memories was John Terry heading the ball by flipping onto his head at a World Cup, and now he is playing in one!

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s story is closely tied to south London football. Having grown up in New Addington, he was shy and would often be taken to training by public transport. Getting the tram from Fieldway Tram Stop to Sandilands, where he would catch two buses to Bethlem Royal Hospital. Like Djed Spence, he played for Junior Elite.

After coming through the ranks at Crystal Palace, Wan-Bissaka ended up transferring to Manchester United, where he played for five years. He opted to represent his native DR Congo national team!

Jamal Musiala

Jamal Musiala’s connection to Croydon comes through his early years in the borough, where he attended Whitgift, an independent all-boys school in Croydon. He joined on a scholarship at the age of 11, with the school working closely with Chelsea's academy, which he joined full-time three years later.

In 2019, he moved back to Germany, where he joined Bayern Munich, quickly becoming a first-team player. He could have played for England or Nigeria but selected Germany, where he is one of their most important players. Germany look to get their hands back on the trophy for the first time since 2014.

Tino Livramento

Born in Croydon, Livramento attended Woodcote High in Purley and joined Chelsea at under-9 level from local club Roundshaw & District Colts FC.

Now playing for Newcastle United Football Club and called up for the World Cup, but unfortunately for Tino, he just missed out through a last-minute injury.

A Borough Full of Football Talent

These stories are part of a much bigger picture. Croydon has long been connected to some of the most recognisable names in football, including:

Wilfried Zaha
Victor Moses
Emile Smith-Rowe

From past legends to the next generation, Croydon continues to play a role in shaping the game.

Celebrating Croydon

At its heart, this is about more than football. It’s about community, opportunity and the environments that allow young people to grow, express themselves and aim high.

At CAYSH, we share a similar goal for Young People to thrive: Ours is to nurture independence in homeless & vulnerable Young People through supported accommodation and specialist projects.

Here is our 2026 first quarter in numbers.

Mental Health & Wellbeing

21 Young People supported
16 received in-house counselling
15 reported improved mental health

Education, Training & Employment

22 Young People engaged in our 13-week programme
5 supported into education or training and 7 supported into employment
8 sustained jobs from the previous quarter

Every number represents a Young Person moving forward with confidence and hope. If you would like to support homeless & vulnerable Young People, you can subscribe to our newsletter or donate here.