KING REIGNS SUPREME

Many talented footballers have graced the fields of Hanworth Road throughout the School’s 466-year history, although perhaps none as impressive as 16-year-old wonderkid Joshua King.

From the iconic 3G to the slightly more notable St George’s Park, King has gathered a vast amount of footballing experience and has achieved remarkable accolades during his career at both club and country level as well as at Hampton.

Director of Football Mr Burke’s arrival at Hampton in 2017 sparked a new era for Hampton football, becoming the holders of the nationally acclaimed ESFA tournament, having won the competition for the first time in their history in 2018-19.

Recently, Hampton’s footballing production line has been incredibly fruitful, with Shaun-Chris Joash and Stathis Kalathias receiving Division 1 scholarships from top American colleges, and Chibuzo Nwoko being signed to Fulham last year. However, the freshest product and most exciting talent to come out of this footballing factory is Josh King.

“I’ve always believed that hard work beats talent.” King’s playstyle is aesthetic and seamless. Yet his journey, his England call-up, was far from smooth or simple. His rise to footballing joy was no miracle; “consistency is a really important part of any footballer’s development,” he said, “the people who put more effort into the training end up with the best results.” This has been the mindset King has maintained ever since the Covid-19 outbreak.

In fact, King saw the pandemic as an opportunity: “I used to run at least 1km everyday during lockdown as well as extra training. It’s the things people don’t see that can have the biggest impact on a player’s development.” The effect it had on King exceeded even his own expectations, breaking Fulham’s all-time record for most distance covered in a single game: a mammoth 12.8km. The record was previously held by current Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliot, another sign of potential future glory for the Hampton star.

Whilst appreciating his academy coaches’ efforts, King also had high praise for the Hampton staff: “All the coaches at Hampton were always supportive and they played a big part in my development,” particularly highlighting Mr Hurst’s contribution at U12 level: “Mr Hurst used to set me challenges during matches, like a touch limit, making me more complete as a footballer.”

King also stated gratitude for Messrs Burke, Ritchie and Mills in the U15, U16, and First XI teams. “Mr Burke always placed huge importance on my weak foot. He was the one who really opened my eye to the importance of using both feet on the pitch - it gives you more options and makes you a more unpredictable player.”

This season, King has enjoyed the most successful year of his career. He impressed early on in 2022, etching his name into the 19-man Fulham squad in Switzerland, for the FC Aesch U19 tournament in July.

Following the tour’s success, King made his U18s Fulham debut in September 2022 - aged 15 - against West Ham. “I didn’t expect to be given much opportunity this season partly due to my size but also due to the competitiveness of the squad,” King claimed earlier in the season. Yet, he has made an impressive 15 appearances, even scoring the opener