Jimmy Aggrey was born in 1978 to 2 hard-working Ghanaian parents who emigrated to London in the 1960s, raising Jimmy and his 2 siblings in working-class Brentford, a stone’s throw from the old football stadium; Griffin Park. Despite Jimmy being the proud owner of a sinister-looking hexagon-shaped wet-look perm, this very tall, polite and slightly mischievous boy loved his ‘4 F’s’. FAMILY, FOOD, FRIENDS and FOOTBALL provided the vital lynchpins to Jimmy’s idyllic bubble of bliss, which shaped the ‘5th F’… Jimmy’s FUTURE During the six-week school summer holiday of 1986, the Aggrey family visited Ghana and this hiatus changed Jimmy’s perspective on life irrevocably; forever. Yes, the natural beauty of this once British colony was the polar opposite of the negative images, intentionally illustrated within books for curriculum purposes, or by the UK’s newsreels orchestrated by Thatcher’s cronies in order to douse, edit, dilute then dish palatable sound bites to match the bite-sized footage; of Apartheid. This uber-aware 8-year-old witnessed levels of poverty, within the streets of Accra, that shook through his lean bones. Nevertheless, through his own lens, Jimmy saw the bright undimmed light within the eyes of smiling children, who looked like him BUT... Whos stomachs were empty, bone dry in fact. This left the most profound impression on Jimmy, who touched down at Heathrow Airport believing it was his duty to achieve much, due to all of the possibilities and opportunities available to him in London.  Aged 12, Jimmy signed schoolboy forms at Chelsea Football Club and 4 years later, started a 2-year Y.T.S apprenticeship with the club in 1995. Jimmy was fortunate enough to play with his boyhood idol, the late David Rocastle, learning much from the great man, especially the way in which David gave more than he received. From the ages of 12-18,  Jimmy endured systematic racial abuse, physical assaults, mental abuse and sexual assaults. 4 months shy of his 19th birthday, Jimmy attempted to take his own life - only to be saved by his sister.  Throughout an 11-year career, Jimmy carried a hidden heavyweight burden of unpacked mental trauma, guilt, shame and self-blame.  In 2006, aged 27 years young and newly becoming a father for the second time, Jimmy retired from professional football, unable to disassociate from what happened to him and the industry of professional football.  Jimmy hadn’t disclosed to another soul the abuses he suffered as a minor.  Already estranged from his family in London 2 years prior, in 2010 Jimmy lost his home, access to his children and sense of worth. This resulted in him finding places to park his car so he could sleep unrecognised, due to the feeling of shame. During this 3 month ‘stint’ of homelessness, Jimmy experienced a newfound feeling of hunger. Surviving on the kindness of his 2 best friends who would buy him fast food, albeit; unaware of Jimmy’s situation.  In 2017, Jimmy embarked on the journey of unpacking and unloading his truth and trauma, which led to him achieving forms of acknowledgement, justice and change for the future.  In Jan 2021, 4 years into the civil case, Jimmy’s Dad passed away from Covid-19. The pair shared a fractured relationship for 3 decades. Their last interaction was an argument in 2007. James Aggrey Senior crossed over believing his son wasted his gift by not pursuing the academic route and unaware of what had happened to his youngest child.  A year later (to the time and day), Chelsea Football Club settled the case.  Jimmy believes the new regime that runs the club today, works with a different ethos to the one of old. Chelsea Football Club’s presence as a partner of The Jimmy Aggrey Foundation is a monumental marker in showing how we, as people, can learn from past mistakes of former custodians, to now work from a fresh canvas and brushstroke, a vision; of a better future.