DIRECTOR’S STATMENT

…what sets my story apart?

As a Chinese immigrant in the early 2000s, my Dad was a complete newcomer to football. But when Premier League scouts noticed me, he became obsessed with the game.

As a foreigner navigating the world of a national institution, he had to fight for both my spotlight and his own respect on the touchline.

An outsider trying to assimilate into a culture, while also confronting its biases. The true story made for wild moments - hilarious, contentious, controversial. Many of them made it into the film.

I’m making this film to come to terms with the cost of an entire childhood spent chasing a dream - but also the beauty. It brought us together and threatened to drive us apart, but now I realise my father was also on his own journey, and ultimately, this is his story…