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Hello and welcome to episode 7 of What Do You Do! In today\\u2019s episode I talk all things sport and life with professional footballer Paco Craig. After training regularly all throughout secondary school, Paco joined West Ham\\u2019s Youth Academy - also known as \\u2018the\\u2019 club - in 2008 at the age of 16, and went through the system until 2011. Following his release - i.e when he found out he wouldn\\u2019t be signed to the Premier league team - he tried out a couple of non-league clubs in the UK before deciding to travel to the States where he played college soccer and, as you\\u2019ll hear, broadened his horizons in many different ways. In 2016 Paco signed his contract with Louisville City FC in Kentucky, a United Soccer League Championship club, and happily enjoyed a lot of success and growth. Whilst it might not have been the football journey he had imagined back when he was a teenager, it truly feels like Paco made the most of his international experiences and found peace with who he is both on and off the pitch.

In our conversation about the life of a budding footballer going through the academy system, we talk about some really important issues in the broader world of professional sport, like the sacrifices you have to make from such a young, formative age, and the potential disillusionment and identity crises that can take over when things don\\u2019t work out as you had dreamed.\\xa0

And not only is he my first blue tick official, wikipedia verified guest, he is also my long-standing friend and birthday twin (doing it for the Libras!). Thank you for taking part and I hope you\\u2019ll all enjoy joining me as we ask a professional athlete, What Do You Do?

Email: whatdoyoupod@gmail.com
Insta: @wdydpod

To follow Paco:\\xa0
Insta - @Pacogigicraig\\xa0
Twitter - @Pacogigicraig

For further reading:\\xa0

Michael Calvin - No Hunger In Paradise:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Hunger-Paradise-Players-Journey/dp/1780896301

Joel Sked - 'The Pressure is Immoral - Uncovering the Dark Side of Youth Football'
https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/dark-side-youth-football-michael-calvin-525876

David Conn - 'Football's Biggest Issue': The Struggle Facing Boys Rejected By Academies'
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/oct/06/football-biggest-issue-boys-rejected-academies