XANDER 10
Xander as a toddler in a red and white kit holding a football

Seven milestones, so far

The Journey

Every season, every step, every muddy Saturday — the story of our boy and his ball, in the order it happened.

  1. Xander as a toddler in a red and white kit holding a football

    First touches — Little Kickers

    It started at Little Kickers

    A red and white kit two sizes too big, and a ball he refused to give back at the end. Little Kickers was never about football really — it was about running, laughing and falling over. We just didn't know we were watching the start of something.

  2. Xander lining up a shot against a mascot goalkeeper on an indoor pitch

    Junior sessions — Wenny Cubs

    Wenny Cubs with Cazza

    Wenny Cubs gave him his first proper sessions, his first coach and his first taste of playing in front of people. He spent most of it trying to score past a mascot roughly three times his size. He never stopped trying, and he never stopped smiling.

  3. Xander in an orange Bilston Town Warriors kit beside a goal

    2024/25 — U7s

    His first team — Bilston Town Warriors U7s

    His first team, his first proper kit, and a Saturday morning routine we wouldn't trade for anything. He turned up not knowing a single teammate and came home with eight new best friends. Somewhere between the first training session and the first whistle, he fell completely in love with the game.

  4. Xander walking up the street to training in his Wolves jacket and red boots

    Midweek — Pre-Academy

    The call from Wolves — Pre-Academy

    We read the invitation about six times before we believed it. Training with the Wolves Pre-Academy meant new coaches, harder sessions, and a very small boy taking a penalty against a very large mascot. We're quietly, enormously proud — and he just wanted to know when the next one was.

  5. Xander shielding the ball from an opponent during a match

    2025/26 — U8s

    Stepping up — U8s and the JPL

    Saturdays became JPL days with Bilston Town U8s, while he still pulled on the Warriors shirt for his U8s side. Two teams, two styles of football, twice as many muddy kits in the washing machine. He never once asked for a weekend off.

  6. Xander smiling with his first tournament trophy

    Summer 2026

    First silverware — Summer 2026

    Hot pitches, warm squash, and a trophy at the end of it all. His first proper tournament wins arrived in the same summer, and the grin hasn't fully gone since. The trophy went straight onto his bedside table, and stayed there.

  7. Xander's squad holding the DMC Leipzig flag on a grass pitch

    2026/27 — U9s

    Next chapter — U9s

    The season ahead brings Bilston Town Warriors U9s and DMC Leipzig U9s in the JPL. New badges, new teammates, and a whole lot of football. Same boy, though — still asking if we can go to the park after full time.

And this is only the beginning.

The photographs

See the moments

Every trophy, every teammate, every grin at full time — the full gallery.

See the moments