The longest tunnel of graffiti in London, Leake Street Arches, lies under the capital’s Waterloo station. In this dynamic street art environment, the creations of innumerable artists appear, some lasting for months, some for days, and others only for a few hours. This unique urban art gallery was consecrated by the most famous of all street artists, Banksy. Here, where colours, lines and shapes merge and interweave, the football coach Brandon Milton recently took a series of photographs with some of the youngsters from a football academy. Apart from the background of graffiti, what made this photo-shoot unique was the fact that the boys and girls in it wore the shirts that Macron designed for Crystal Palace, the famous South London club, whose graphics are inspired precisely by the area’s street art.

A shirt that conveys the true spirit of football

The shirts in question, named Graffiti Ball(er) Mentality, convey the true spirit of football as a sport in which achieving an objective demands the same sort of audacity and creativity demonstrated by the street artists who have transformed Leake Street Arches into a vibrant, living gallery. Not just on the pitch, but off it too, players need to adopt the right mindset, train hard to extend their limits, and raise the bar a bit at a time. This is the approach of the Ball(er) Mentality technique that Brandon Mil adopts when coaching the players that train with him every day.

Training the mind as well as the body

As Brandon Milton explains, “to achieve an objective on the pitch you need to train not just the body but the mind too. You need to start from the understanding that victory depends not only on what you do but on who you are. This mentality enables you to exceed your limits and to raise the bar. To reach your objective, you need to leave your comfort zone. It takes hard work, sacrifice and determination to never give up.” This mindset is behind every exercise the players are asked to complete. “The Ball(er) Mentality is not just about winning. It’s about overcoming the challenges that come your way and giving your best every time you play,” the coach tells his youngsters.

Passion and determination as well as tactics and technique

It’s no coincidence that the Macron Hero appears alongside the Ball(er) Mentality logo on the shirts photographed in the tunnel under Waterloo Station. The Macron Hero perfectly embodies this sporting spirit: hard work, appropriate tactics and technique, along with passion, determination and commitment to teamwork. Brandon Milton is a coach at Lambeth Tigers, a youth club formed in 1995 to offer local children a chance to play football and to develop young talents aspiring to play for more prestigious clubs. The road is not easy, but anything is possible when young players truly believe in themselves and become their own heroes.