This article is from page 3 of the 2005-10-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
idea three years ago. Every kind of reality TV show had been done except a sports one. We came up with a plan, worked on it for six months and went to Chelsea with it, who were very keen,’ explained Damien at his family home in Inch on Monday. Originally from Ennis, where his Father
managed Lifford soccer club, Damien moved to London when he was fourteen. He had pre- viously worked with his brother Justin’s tel- ecommunications company before taking the plunge and entering the glamorous world of Premiership football.
“T went to the Ennis National School and Flannans. My parents left Ennis when I was fourteen. My father used to manage Lifford, so the person who comes second in the com- petition will get a twelve-month deal with Lif- royce nae
Young footballers from across Britain, Ireland, Europe and Africa were among the 20,000 that took part in the summer trials. The remaining, lucky 12 are currently secluded away in a Surrey mansion near Chelsea’s state- of-the-art training complex. Chelsea’s discern-
ing boss, Jose Mourinho, will have the final say on who makes the grade. A regular at Stam- ford Bridge, Damien 1s keen to stress that this is what will give the show credibility.
“There is no public voting to get rid of peo- ple, this is a really credible show. We’re not getting rid of the fat kid, or the small kid, or the skinny kid, or whatever. It is purely down to the Chelsea academy staff saying he is good enough or not good enough. Chelsea don’t need the money from phone lines. ” The club are currently funded by billionaire Russian ty- coon Roman Abramovich.
Damien is hoping that the show will be a big success and already has one eye on bringing the format around the globe. He also plans on entering the potentially lucrative world of foot- ball agents.