MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY is making his mark after breaking into the Arsenal first team.
But while the 18-year-old midfielder is helping Mikel Arteta in his quest for Premier League and Champions League glory, his mum is helping other parents get to grips with their children making it as professional footballers.
Lewis-Skelly’s mum Marcia – who went viral with her reaction to her son’s European debut – launched her own podcast to give tips, advice and share her experiences of being a football parent.
The Behind The Boots pod has had Alex Iwobi’s father Chuka and Georgia Stanway’s mother Joanne on the show.
Arsenal academy boss and World Cup winner Per Mertesacker has also been on, too.
The Gunners rising star told the club website: “My mum does a podcast to help parents in the industry who don’t have as much support from other clubs, just to help them through the journey.
“We’re the players but our parents have a big role to play as well.
“They’re ultimately our number one fans so if they get help on their journey then they can support each other as well.”
As well as the podcast, Marcia runs the No1 Fan Club.
The online platform includes various resources, a community chat network, workshops and even a book club – all tailored towards providing wisdom, education and support for parents.
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Marcia’s background is in investment banking where she led a technology training department.
However, as her son rose through the ranks at Hale End, the attention of agents led to her wanting to find out more about the world of professional football.
So much so that she studied a master’s degree in football business and even took Fifa’s football agent exam, now representing her child.
Speaking to The Athletic, Marcia said: “Football is a business. And, like any business, you have to understand it to be successful.
“If we don’t understand it, we’re going to make the wrong decisions. We are expected to stay in our lane and let everyone else manage the limited flow of information for us.
“At various points, I felt unprepared to make decisions that could impact Myles’ future.
“There was no trusted advice, no network to consult, and no family connections in the football industry.
“I wanted to understand the landscape of football.
“There are plenty of great agents, but his dad and I needed more time to build those relationships — and to properly understand what agents do. It’s such a big decision that we wanted that extra time.
“I took my exam, not really as a driver to represent Myles, but to gain that knowledge for us.”
On the No1 Fan Club, she added: “There are over 3.5million kids playing organised football every week, and many of them want to be professional footballers.
“We can give those parents and guardians a glimpse of the academy journey if they take it, and provide them with a range of insights from experts in areas such as getting scouted, nutrition, growth injuries, sleep, the impact of digital devices on performance, the overall wellbeing of our children — and ourselves! It’s a holistic approach.”
As for Lewis-Skelly, he made his first-team debut away at Manchester City last month – a year on from signing his first professional contract at the Emirates.
Incredibly, though, the teenager was booked BEFORE taking to the field for Arsenal for the first time.
