Having signed a new contract in East London, George Earthy, who started at Chadwell Heath aged six and now has his eyes on a first-team debut, is the latest player to speak in our Academy of Football series.
As the age-old tale of sibling rivalry goes: ‘It doesn’t matter what it is, you have to win.’
For George Earthy, the youngest of three brothers, his upbringing was no different. Growing up in Hornchurch, sibling rivalry was everything. Football or anything else. He had to win.
“There was a lot of competition,” Earthy explains, on his battles with his older brothers in the backyard. “If there was a game, football or anything really, I always wanted to beat them. I think that definitely pushed me to be better.”
As such, Earthy’s upbringing is one that helped bring him here. Born into a football-mad household, he grew up playing football against siblings his senior. He became an avid Hammer too. Not that he had much choice.
“We’ve had Season Tickets since the Boleyn,” he adds, explaining that his Dad is a huge West Ham fan. “We went to the final game there.
"I think that is the best game I have ever been to because of the whole situation… being 2-1 down… beating Manchester United… the Winston Reid header…”
He pauses.
“Unreal.”
EXTRA MOTIVATION
Of course, those moments have added extra motivation for the young Hammer to go and reach the first team in East London. It would of course mean more to make it here. To play for the Club you first fell in love with as a fan. The stuff of dreams and all that.
There was also the small matter of a European trophy last term to add that extra bit of motivation for the talented youngster. Another night to inspire the 19-year-old midfielder and the rest of the Academy of Football to make it in East London.
“Watching all those European games last year, and the final in Prague, it only makes you want that more,” he adds.
But that has always been the goal for Earthy. And incredibly that journey to a possible first-team debut started at age six, having first trained at Chadwell Heath with the U6s on a Friday night over 12 years ago.
“Before then I was playing for a local team Hornchurch and Brentwood,” he explained, “but all I have really known is West Ham. I’ve gone to Chadwell Heath so many times, going there is like a second home now.”
Alongside current U21 and former U6 teammate Kaelan Casey, Earthy has progressed all the way through the ranks, staring at age-group levels, and then winning the FA Youth Cup and league title with the U18s in 2022/23.
Earthy was an integral part of that success too. He played all six matches in the team's FA Youth Cup run, scoring three goals; a vital late winner away to Burnley in the fourth round, a creative finish in the away win at Stoke City in the fifth, and a classy strike in the 5-1 final win against Arsenal. He also netted four goals in eleven league matches. In short, he more than played his part.
“The FA Youth Cup is such a big trophy,” Earthy enthused. “It’s all you hear about around Academies so it’s a big achievement for us.
“Many of us have been playing football with West Ham since we were eleven – or even younger – and have moved through the Academy age groups with each other. It makes it extra special winning a cup when you are playing with your mates. It’s what you dream of really.”
MOVING UP DOWN UNDER
A further taste of dreams becoming reality arrived with the first team this summer though, where Earthy was part of the pre-season tour to Australia.
He describes his time Down Under as ‘surreal’. The chance to learn from the talented crop of first-teamers is one he will never forget.
As part of the pre-season tour, there was the small matter of a London derby too. A fixture against Spurs. A match the boyhood Hammer was up for – and then some.
“Mental,” he states, on the experience of appearing in the Hammers 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur. “It doesn’t matter where it is or the fact it’s a friendly, it’s still Spurs. It’s a huge derby. The ground was massive – there were so many fans there!”
The next step is now about having that experience in a competitive fixture – a chance Earthy will no doubt be pushing for in 2023/24.
“This year, it is about sharpening up my game as much as I can,” he affirms. “In the U21s, I want to score as many goals as I can and when you get that chance with the first team make sure you show what you can do and prove my worth.”
The goal is set, then. Earthy, the boyhood Hammer, is ready to continue his journey in East London. But the first team is now the target for the talented No10.
He has shown he is the talent to make it, though. A stunning strike against EFL League One outfit Bristol Rovers last Tuesday the first of what he hopes to be another successful campaign.
