by Patrick T Fuller on April 22, 2021
Arts & Entertainment
by Liam O’Hara ’21 A&E Staff
David Beckham is a famous former soccer player from Leytonstone in East London, England. He was captain for the England National team and played for other clubs, including Manchester United and Real Madrid. He also played in the MLS for L.A. Galaxy and then went on to found his own team, Inter Miami. After Beckham retired from a remarkable playing career on the field, he demonstrated more of his talents through television and business, eventually launching his own company Studio 99, which he dreamt up during his playing days. “When I retired at 38, and probably five years before that, I started setting the business up,” Beckham explained. “Throughout my career I was successful, not because of me personally, but because of the teams I was with. I knew setting up the team in London was so important.”
Recently revealed within Studio 99 and Twenty Twenty, a U.K. production company, Beckham announced that a new series called Save Our Squad, based on his life, is in the works and will eventually be available on Disney+. Billed as a heart-warming series, the plot of this show centers around Beckham’s return to the East London fields that he played on as a child to mentor a group of kids playing for a struggling Sunday League team. It will not only take Beckham back to the pitches he grew up on, but it will also follow his journey in helping to uplift local communities.
Beckham said, “It is fantastic to be making Save Our Squad and to shine a light on the kind of grassroots football that I experienced growing up and which gave me so much at the start of my life in the game.” He “was so fortunate to have a long and successful playing career and now to have the opportunity to give back to these communities as a mentor is incredible.” Watching Beckham return the favor of football to his home community promises to bring much joy; his talent, ambition, and self-discipline definitely allow him to fulfill such an awe-inspiring role.
Sean Doyle will be the executive producer of the show. He says, “We are so thrilled to welcome David Beckham to Disney+. This is a fantastic opportunity to show the importance and impact of grasslands football in communities in the UK.” This series will bring viewers an inside look into soccer through the mentorship of Beckham. Although it is unknown when the season is set to air, it is sure to be a spectacle to look forward to.