Football Icon

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.

Series 1

The first series began in June 2005, and 5,000 young footballers took part. The series was won by Chelsea fan Sam Hurrell, who was attending Vyners School.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, Worthing, Woking, Boreham Wood and is currently playing for New Orleans Jesters. Hurrell has since gone on to have a spell at Harefield United as well as venturing into management in 2012, aged only 24, with Hillingdon Borough.