Levi Colwill interview: ‘I grew up underprivileged. I want to help as many kids as possible'

New York Times

4 days ago

Levi Colwill was enjoying a much-earned holiday in Trinidad before cutting it short to attend a pre-season friendly between non-league Sholing FC and Chelsea Under-18s last Saturday.
'I had a manic journey to get here,' he tells The Athletic. 'I missed a connecting flight in Miami due to the airline. I had to find another plane to get me to Paris and then from there to London. I was travelling for over 24 hours, but I wanted to get back for this.'
Advertisement
Those unaware of Colwill's affinity to Sholing FC, who play in the Southern League Premier Division South (the seventh tier of English football), may be wondering why the centre-half would be prepared to do such a thing. Colwill's summer break began less than two weeks earlier due to being part of the Chelsea side that beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 to win the Club World Cup on July 13.
But Colwill is driven by a desire to help children. The Athletic was last at Sholing FC in December when an open trial was held to find recruits for the new Levi Colwill Academy (LSC Academy), which officially gets under way in September. As revealed back then, the 22-year-old has also funded the cost of a new 3G pitch for the club, and Saturday's fixture against Chelsea was the grand opening for the new playing surface.
A club record 1,888 were in attendance. At half-time, a proud Colwill walked round the pitch with some of the youngsters who will make up the first class at the LSC Academy.
'Being here was a priority for me,' Colwill says. 'A lot of hard work has been put in, not just from me, but from my family. We know how much this is going to help the LSC Academy, too. I am so excited to launch it — everything around it is so positive. I couldn't not be here. This is one of the best days of my life; the turnout has been amazing.
'When I was walking round with the academy boys on the pitch at half-time, it just felt so good. You could see all the people having a good time, greeting us as we went round. It just felt all part of the plan to give something back, but it is just the start.'
Colwill's connection to Sholing FC, which is on the outskirts of Southampton, is an understandable one. He grew up nearby, and his uncles have played for the club. One of them, Daniel Mason, scored a superb free kick to help his side beat Chelsea's youngsters 2-0 on the day, a goal which brought a huge smile to Colwill's face.
Advertisement
'It's not just about Sholing FC,' Colwill insists. 'I want to help as many underprivileged kids as possible. I thought to myself, 'How am I going to do that?'. Football is all I know. I grew up as an underprivileged kid. I came to Sholing FC games and enjoyed them. It made me happy and made me want to become a footballer.
'If I can help bring a load of kids to come down to an event like this, to enjoy being here, to fall in love with the game, that can change their lives. They can perhaps do something else rather than being on the streets. That's the main reason.
'I went into the dressing room after the game and thanked the players because there are so many kids out there who have not been as lucky as me. Life could have been different for me, so if I can help as many as possible, give them a new ambition to aim for, that's what I want to do in life.
'I also did something when I was on holiday in Trinidad. I organised a training session out there with some kids who were all from my grandma's local area. My nan flew out with me. A few hundred people turned up. We bought the goals and so on out of my back pocket, just to give them something else to enjoy. Doing this drives me. I want to leave a legacy and have people be proud of me.'
No one should be concerned about the off-the-pitch endeavours being a negative distraction for Colwill. For example, several people are working at the LSC Academy, which is run by his uncle Daniel with the support of first-team coach Ross White.
Colwill adds: 'We have a group chat on WhatsApp with me, my uncles and the staff. They are the ones doing things on a day-to-day basis. I want to know what's going on and will say something if I need to, but I have full trust in them because they are really good people.
'If one of the players goes on from the academy to have a pro career at any level, it would mean as much as things I have done myself. If I have influenced them to do that, hopefully they will do something similar when they get older and help the kids in their community, too. That's all I want, to build a chain of giving back and helping.'
Advertisement
Colwill is used to being asked for autographs and selfies when he attends Sholing FC matches, but this seems like another level. He is inundated with requests throughout the afternoon and does hundreds with a grin on his face. Perhaps it is not that surprising that hundreds approach him, with Chelsea supporters also in attendance. But you suspect being a world champion has boosted his profile even further.
He will return, like the rest of Chelsea's senior squad, to pre-season training next week, but the success enjoyed in America this month has already been consigned to the past.
When asked how he feels to be called a world champion, he replies: 'It doesn't feel real. It's not like I sit there and think, 'Ah, we won this and that'. I have realised that when you win things, life doesn't change. My goal is to win as many things as possible, so I am not going to be hung up on this. I need to move on and plan for the next.
'This is a feeling shared in the dressing room. We have an elite mindset in our team, and this is what we need to do. The Premier League restarts in less than a month, and we need to start preparing for that.'
Few gave Chelsea a chance of beating Champions League holders PSG in the final. In many ways, you could understand why. The Ligue 1 side had put six goals (combined) past Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the previous two rounds without conceding a goal.
Being written off proved great motivation. Chelsea swept PSG aside with a style of football that should ensure they will be taken a lot more seriously in future.
Finishing the season with 14 wins from 16 games also showed a sustained level of consistency for the first time since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium took over in 2022. It also helped them secure a top-four finish in the Premier League and the Conference League trophy.
Advertisement
Colwill believes it is a good sign that a corner has been turned, but suggests a lack of credit from outside of Stamford Bridge will also continue to drive the players on as they try to compete for a first league title since 2017.
He continues: 'We had ups and downs like a lot of teams last season. We still stayed around the top four and were never miles behind. With the fans, we really went all together and just pushed. When that happens, I feel something just lights up and you just win, win, win. That's what we were doing in the Premier League, then we won the Conference League and headed into the Club World Cup with that mindset.
'But it felt like no one thought we had half a chance, even in the final, and I thought that was very disrespectful. All the questions before the game were based on, 'You're not stopping PSG'. I am not complaining. It gave us that fire in the belly, and we proved everyone wrong.
'It does feel like there are not many people who respect us out there. We have been using it and will continue to do so. It might change now that we are world champions, we don't know. But we are going into games feeling like we have a point to prove. It gives us that extra one per cent, which can make a huge difference.
'Do I think teams will target a win over Chelsea even more so that they can say they have beaten the world champions? Definitely, but that is not a bad thing. They will give us respect. But we have to always be on it; our mindset has to be that we have to win every game.
'We feel like we can definitely compete for the Premier League. The players we have in our squad are among the best, and we are really excited for this season, to once again prove people wrong.'
The prospect of playing in the Champions League for the first time in his career is something he is particularly looking forward to. 'When that anthem comes on, it is going to be a dream. I could get a bit emotional, to be honest,' he admits.
'I went to watch many Champions League games at Stamford Bridge when I was younger. I have walked out with the flags waving against Barcelona. Many kids dream of playing in the Champions League, so it doesn't feel real that I am about to. It's going to be amazing.
Advertisement
'When you hear that song, it just makes your hair stand up on your neck. No matter where you are, if you hear that tune, you know it's the Champions League. It's so special.'
And with that, Colwill left to enjoy the last few days of his holiday before the hard work begins all over again. He has certainly earned it.