Past and present West Ham footballers officially open the club’s new academy at its training ground in Chadwell Heath.
New England international Declan Rice was joined by predecessors Sir Trevor Brooking, Alvin Martin and Tony Cottee, along with West Ham captain Mark Noble, rising star Grady Diangana and current academy coaches Steve Potts, Jack Collison and Paul Konchesky at the launch today.
The site, which is also where the late Bobby Moore and his fellow 1966 World Cup winners Sir Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters honed their skills, has undergone a £4milllion makeover.
The club’s joint-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold said: “This is a proud and special day for West Ham as we celebrate another magnificent step forward for our Academy.
“The investment of time, energy and continued hard work from all of our fantastic staff here at Chadwell Heath will hopefully ensure that we continue to produce many more Trevor Brookings, Mark Nobles and Declan Rices in the years to come.”
Manager Manuel Pellegrini, former academy director Tony Carr and the families of former managers Ron Greenwood and John Lyall were also present.
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