West Ham United officially opened their new Academy facility at the club’s iconic Chadwell Heath training ground on Tuesday, as a host of homegrown Hammers heroes returned to celebrate its rich history and look forward to a bright and exciting future.
New England international Declan Rice was joined by predecessors Sir Trevor Brooking, Alvin Martin and Tony Cottee, along with club captain Mark Noble, rising star Grady Diangana and current Academy coaches Steve Potts, Jack Collison and Paul Konchesky – all of whom started out as schoolboy and youth players at Chadwell Heath.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini, former long-serving Academy Director Tony Carr and the families of legendary managers Ron Greenwood and John Lyall were also present, as Academy Director Terry Westley, Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold, and Vice-Chairman Karren Brady, led guests on a showcase tour of the new facilities.
Check out the opening of our new Academy facility in the video player above!