Sky has announced a new Sky Original docu-series from Expectation, titled Chasing the Dream, which follows promising young football players from South London as they enter the most critical time in their fledgling sporting careers. Produced by BAFTA and RTS award-winning indie, Expectation, in association with Sky Studios, the 4×60 minutes series will air on Sky Documentaries and NOW TV in 2022.

Filmed over the course of eighteen months, Chasing the Dream takes us to the epicentre of British footballing talent – South London. Here, young players battle the odds in fenced-in, artificial pitches known as “the cages”, that occupy unlikely corners of towering council estates.

In this tough environment, the stakes are high as young players use their talent in the hope of securing a better life for themselves and for their families.

Alongside the players, the series centres the voices of pivotal influences in the tight knit world of South London football. From the scouts, agents and coaches who nurture talent, to the player’s families and those who stand shoulder to shoulder on the pitch. In Chasing the Dream, we see that for these young players, football is not just a dream, but the only way out.

Commissioned by Zai Bennett, Managing Director of Content and Poppy Dixon, Director of Documentaries and Factual, the series is a Sky Original documentary series and reinforces Sky’s ambition to provide customers with a destination for world class, premium factual TV. NBCUniversal Global Distribution will handle international sales of the series.

Poppy Dixon, Director of Documentaries and Factual, Sky said: “We’re so proud to be able to share the powerful stories of these young players from South London along with the voices of their families and those nurturing their talent. Audiences will experience the heart-warming and dramatic journeys of these footballers, daring to change theirs and their families’ lives through the beautiful game. Chasing the Dream will join a host of compelling, must-see documentaries from award-winning film makers on Sky Documentaries.”

Colin Barr, Creative Director, Factual & Factual Drama, Expectation said: “South London is known as ‘the concrete Catalonia’ for a reason and it’s amazing to get the chance to tell the stories of young players trying to hit the big leagues. We’ll witness the wins and the losses, the joy and the heartache. It’s the side of football we never see, and we can’t wait to bring audiences this gripping series.”

Sky Documentaries, Sky Nature and the rebranded Sky HISTORY joined Sky Crime this May as the home of exclusive documentaries for all Sky and NOW TV customers at no extra cost. The services offer on demand libraries with hundreds of hours of factual programming, providing an unmissable mix of premium, original commissions and acquired content.