Felix Lyon: My journey from grassroots football to Brentford Academy | OneFootball

For Brentford Under-18s goalkeeper Felix Lyon, playing academy football was always the goal, however he was forced to wait to see it become a reality.

Growing up playing grassroots football, the 17-year-old plied his trade across south London, developing through time spent with multiple clubs and his national title-winning high school team.

The outfield positions were where Lyon began his time in the sport, however once he made the decision to step in goal, he knew he was home.

“I played grassroots all the way up until Under-16s when I came to Brentford. I started off at a team called Dulwich Village Under-7s playing outfield, just trying to have fun,” said Lyon.

“I went to a club called Ten Em Bee where I moved in goal because I feel like I enjoyed it more. That was the team for me, there was a great community around it, it was almost a staple within the community.

“I moved onto a team called Lewisham Borough where I played Under-14s and 15s, which meant we could play in a higher division playing against better players.

“Playing for school helped me a lot, I had a very good school team. We won nationals in Year 10 which was obviously a really good experience, all the school came along to watch and we played at the Hawthorns."

As his game continued to grow, Lyon’s dream of academy football grew with it, however it wasn’t until later on in his junior career that he thought it might be attainable.

“I always wanted to play academy football, that was the goal… but it didn’t really become something I thought could happen until my last year of grassroots football,” he explained.

His opportunity came after he was scouted playing for his county, Lyon then invited to Brentford ahead of the U9s to U16s being re-established at Jersey Road.

There was no time to settle in, as Lyon joined the U18s on a pre-season tour to Germany.

“It was clear to me straight away how much of a step up it would be… it really opened my eyes to what academy football would be like and it gave me a base to fall back on as I went back to the U16s for the rest of the season, so that really helped me,” explained Lyon.

“I was definitely surprised the level was as high as it was and I definitely wasn’t up to the task at that time, but it was a benchmark for me, so I could see where I needed to be and where I wanted to be over the next year.”

As he returned to the U16s for that season, Lyon had clear messaging from both the U18s coaches and his head coach, Andrew Ottley.

“The message was just to keep working as hard as I can and not taking any of the training for granted,” said Lyon.

“It was a big period for me of just working hard every single session to help secure the scholarship.”

His scholarship offer came at the end of that season, linking up with Gary McDermott’s U18s. It’s a privilege that Lyon doesn’t take lightly.

“It was very important for me to not take it for granted because I think I was in a position where either getting one or not getting one, I wasn’t sure,” he said.

“When I was given it, it kind of showed me that the club saw what I could be, saw the potential, which really made me try to work harder.”

Lyon has kicked on with the young Bees through the 2025/26 campaign, his season highlights the pre-season tour to Porto and starting in the FA Youth Cup third round against Chelsea.

There was an adjustment for Lyon as he tackled full-time football for the first time in his career.

“It’s been good so far, it’s definitely a step up going from part-time football to full-time football, there’s a lot more work involved,” he explained.

“But overall, I’ve enjoyed it a lot, it’s helped me develop as a player being in the building every day.

“I think I’ve made the step up quite well, I think I’ve definitely improved over the end of last season and the start of this season, which has helped me make the step up to the U18s.”

Off the pitch, Lyon is excelling in his education at Jersey Road, while his golf game has steadily improved in his time away from the training ground.

“At the moment in my education I’m doing two A-levels, maths and economics… I think if the opportunity came up to go to university I would take it,” he continued.

“I play a lot of golf, a bit of darts, see my friends on the weekend… I’ve got a golf course a couple of minutes from my house called Aquarius, it’s a small nine-hole course.

“I’d say my irons at the moment are decent, I’ve got my swing down. It’s a thing I can enjoy and take a couple of hours out of my day where I don’t have to think about anything else."

Lyon and the Bees are next in action against Barnsley at Wheatsheaf Park on Saturday (kick-off 11.30am BST).

Tickets are available here.