Crystal Palace midfielder Ebere Eze says cage football was the making of him.
The England international learned the game playing in London's football cages.
I was playing cage football for a long time," Eze told Palace's website. Even in academies whilst I was training, I would still go back to the cages and play with friends. That's where football is most enjoyable, and it's probably where I learned most of how I play as well. It's a big part of me, definitely.
Ball control, being able to run past players, handling the ball in tight spaces, being able to get knocked by bigger players and getting up. It's literally doing what you can to be as effective as you can be in harsh circumstances. For sure, that's built me and helped me become the player I am today.
I'm grateful for where I grew up and the things I saw and experienced, because they have shaped me. We would play football every single day after school: just walk down the hill into a cage and put our bags down, put our jumpers down and everyone is just playing. It's those moments that you don't realise are your first bit of education as a footballer, so it's hugely important."