Myles Lewis-Skelly was an 11-year-old in the Arsenal academy when his mother Marcia received her first phone call from an agent.
“I remember I was driving the car, Myles was on tour in Spain,” Marcia Lewis tells The Athletic. “The phone rang and a voice said, ‘Hi, I’m calling about Myles’. I was worried, I thought maybe something was wrong. But then they told me they were an agent, and said they wanted to start building a relationship.”
Technically, a young player cannot engage with an agent until the January of the year they turn 16, but that doesn’t dissuade potential suitors from reaching out. The agent name-dropped several famous players they represented, but to Marcia — someone to whom the world of football was entirely new — they meant nothing.
At this time, Myles was oblivious to the industry’s growing interest in his development, something that will now only intensify after he was named in Arsenal’s squad for their pre-season tour of the United States.
“Mum didn’t tell me those things, and that was fine,” says Myles, now 17. “I didn’t care. I just love to play football. That’s really it.”
But as Myles grew older, and his potential became more widely known, the calls kept coming. “When he was 12, a top sports brand wanted to sponsor him,” explains Marcia. The attention kept coming.
Early engagement with agents and brands was kept at bay. It felt like a case of too much too soon — especially for a family still getting to grips with the realities of the football industry. “At various points, I felt unprepared to make decisions that could impact Myles’ future,” says Marcia. “There was no trusted advice, no network to consult, and no family connections in the football industry.”
With the spotlight shining brightly on this young star, Marcia’s maternal instincts were strong. “I felt I needed to protect him.”
Myles Lewis-Skelly scores against Chelsea in a Premier League 2 match last season (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
The only way for Marcia and Myles’ father to begin to navigate this world was through seeking out other parents of young footballers and listening to their perspectives and wisdom. “They provided so much comfort and gave me confidence,” says Marcia. “That’s when I realised the support of other parents can be so helpful.”
Marcia sought to educate herself on the mechanics of the football industry. Her background was in learning and development, and she had previously headed up a technology training department in an investment bank but, in 2020, she embarked on a master’s degree in football business. “I wanted to understand the landscape of football,” she explains.
She also studied for FIFA’s football agent exam to understand the agent role. Myles says she worked “crazy hours” to achieve her qualification.
“There are plenty of great agents, but his dad and I needed more time to build those relationships — and to properly understand what agents do,” says Marcia. “It’s such a big decision that we wanted that extra time.”
Technically, Marcia is now Myles’ formal representative. “I took my exam, not really as a driver to represent Myles, but to gain that knowledge for us.”
And to impart that knowledge to other parents. Marcia’s master’s thesis was on the parent experience in youth football. She interviewed 18 parents with children between the ages of 15 and 21, and discovered a series of recurring problems: how best to deal with agents, academy education provision, sports law and contracts, and how a parent can support a child if and when they leave their club.
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She also started a podcast, Behind the Boots, in which she and co-host Kat Chidiac interviewed football parents, such as Alex Iwobi’s father Chuka and Georgia Stanway’s mother Joanne.
At the end of 2022, she began to formulate an idea for a platform that could serve as a network and resource for the parents of young footballers. That platform recently relaunched as No1Fan.club, a hub that provides a support network and community for families on their football journey. They produce an array of content relevant to the parent experience but also provide opportunities to ask questions of industry experts and parents who have been down this road before.
It’s not solely applicable to young players at elite clubs such as Arsenal. No1Fan.club also has provision for grassroots.
“There are over 3.5million kids playing organised football every week, and many of them want to be professional footballers,” says Marcia. “We can give those parents and guardians a glimpse of the academy journey if they take it, and provide them with a range of insights from experts in areas such as getting scouted, nutrition, growth injuries, sleep, the impact of digital devices on performance, the overall wellbeing of our children — and ourselves! It’s a holistic approach.”
Marcia has also built a package that can help academies deliver interactive and engaging workshops to parents.
“I really believe that if parents are more informed and have more insight, it can only help other areas of the industry,” she says. “It means we come with a sensible long-term view and a more realistic approach to our children’s football development. It positively influences how we engage with agents, how we engage with clubs, how we balance education, for example. Everybody benefits.
“Football is a business. And, like any business, you have to understand it to be successful. If we don’t understand it, we’re going to make the wrong decisions. We are expected to stay in our lane and let everyone else manage the limited flow of information for us.”
“This is so needed,” adds Myles. “There’s not enough help out there for parents. Grassroots and academies are kind of oblivious to this side of things. They need to be educated, and it’s good that my mum’s doing it.”
Despite their busy schedules, Myles is careful to make sure Marcia doesn’t overdo it. “Even when I’m working on the platform, Myles will come and bring me some water and tell me to go to bed,” says Marcia. “She doesn’t sleep enough!” says Myles emphatically.
Marcia’s hard work has paid off — she is fast becoming the house’s resident football expert. “She’s telling me about transfers, the table, what’s going on in the Championship — she knows more than me now!” laughs Myles. “She enjoys watching games too. Even my grandmother’s getting into it — she watched all the Euros games.”
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Myles also has studies of his own to focus on. Alongside his burgeoning football career, he is studying for A-Levels in Spanish and business studies. Marcia would love all clubs to offer equal opportunities in their education provision among young players when they become scholars. She feels some clubs such as Arsenal are great, but others are not as impressive. She hopes the Premier League will look to improve this.
Much of Marcia’s work is about breaking down the stereotypes surrounding football parents. “Everyone always talks about living your dreams through your kids — but it wasn’t mine or his dad’s dream to play football,” she says. “You are always going to get parents who have an agenda, but I don’t believe that’s the majority. Most parents just want to support their child’s passion.”
As a woman, navigating the masculine world of football can be challenging. “If you google ‘mum agent’, you always get negative stories,” says Marcia. “I think the way women are treated in the industry is wrong. We provide a huge amount of practical and emotional support to our boys and girls, but there’s no credit for the balance that we bring.
“As a parent, it can feel like you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. If you’re involved, you’re pushy parents. If you’re not, you aren’t taking an interest. It’s difficult to get that balance.”
The role of Mark and Denise Bellingham in steering the careers of their sons Jude and Jobe has been an inspiration to Marcia. “You look at them and think, ‘Wow, they managed to do that in this crazy world’,” she says. “And the boys seem to be doing fine.”
For Myles and Marcia, embarking on this football adventure together has only strengthened their bond.
“I’m enjoying the journey with Myles,” says Marcia. “It has been overwhelming at times, but once I learned to get a handle on it it’s been much easier to navigate. Now I hope the platform can help others in the same way.”
Myles has no concerns about Marcia’s involvement in football impacting him. “I never look at it like that,” he says. “She’s doing her thing and I’m doing mine.
“I think it’s a parent’s duty to understand what their child is doing,” adds Myles. “We’re on this journey together. We’re in the same industry but in different parts. It’s pretty cool.
“I feel secure, safe and fortunate. I feel I’m in good hands. I trust my mum more than anyone. I can just worry about football. She’ll take care of everything else.”
(Top photos: Arsenal FC and the Lewis-Skelly family)
