Calum McFarlane's meteoric rise in football is nothing short of remarkable. Six years ago, he and his assistants Harry Hudson and Dan Hogan were working for a south London charity that provides football and education for disadvantaged children. On Saturday, they will lead Chelsea out to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
There have been accusations of cronyism given their connections to Joe Shields, Chelsea's co-head of recruitment, which go back years to their time at the Kinetic Foundation. However, James Fotheringham, Kinetic's co-founder, dismisses such claims. 'The narrative is of people being given an unfair opportunity,' he says, referring to abusive messages posted on Kinetic's social media since McFarlane's appointment as interim manager. 'Calum did the hard yards at City, Southampton and Chelsea and has got seasons under his belt to get to that position.'
Shields, who met Hudson while both worked at Crystal Palace's academy, has never had a formal connection to Kinetic, though he scouted players from its academy in previous roles. He had left Southampton for Stamford Bridge before McFarlane moved to the south-coast club as under-18s coach. McFarlane joined Chelsea in the summer, followed by Hudson and Hogan.
In January, McFarlane was promoted to Liam Rosenior's coaching team after impressing in his first spell as interim manager, during which Chelsea drew at Manchester City. An academy reshuffle saw long-serving under-18s coach Hassan Sulaiman move to a pathways role, replaced by Hogan, while Hudson stepped up to replace McFarlane as under-21s head coach. 'Harry doesn't have social media,' says Fotheringham. 'He's always been like: “People can say whatever they want.”'
Fotheringham notes that Hogan, a former Crystal Palace under-18s captain who started coaching at Kinetic, has led Chelsea's under-18s to the Premier League national final after winning their league. 'He's already been coaching for 10 years and is probably the youngest coach ever to do that. Dan is Calum and Harry's apprentice. He lapped everything up at Kinetic.'
Since McFarlane was appointed interim head coach in April, Hudson and Hogan have been by his side. This is a far cry from Kinetic, founded by Fotheringham and his school friend Hudson after the 2011 riots as a 'passion project' that quickly gained momentum. More than 80 players from Kinetic's programme for 16- to 18-year-olds have been signed by professional clubs, including Joe Aribo, Kwadwo Baah, and Josh Maja. However, the priority has been ensuring that the 400 boys and girls who sign up each year to its Futures programme receive opportunities beyond the pitch. Over 60% went to university last year, and Fotheringham hopes a new partnership with St Mary's University will encourage more to follow suit.
'We're trying to change mindsets. We spend two hard years making sure that they broaden their horizons,' he says.
McFarlane joined Kinetic in 2014 after a spell with Norwegian side Tromsø, and his partnership with Hudson blossomed. With Hudson as manager and McFarlane as assistant, they took charge of Croydon FC in 2017 after Kinetic took over the youth team. McFarlane remained Hudson's No. 2 when they were poached by Whyteleafe before departing for Manchester City in 2020. Hudson later worked at Brentford and left Kinetic in 2024 to become Wycombe's under-18s coach.
'Harry had a passion for coaching and having the book of contacts within football to get trials and opportunities for the kids,' Fotheringham says. 'That's all he's ever cared about. I remember he said when he was leaving: “If I was on my deathbed, and I never gave it a shot, then I wouldn't forgive myself. I need to start now to see if I can prove myself.”'
McFarlane has a chance to become the first English manager since Harry Redknapp in 2008 to win the FA Cup. His credentials to handle a squad costing over £1bn have been questioned due to his lack of top-level experience, but Fotheringham hopes McFarlane, with Hudson and Hogan at his side, can make history. 'It's an incredible pedestal for the three of them. If they can win the FA Cup, it would be some way to start your careers off in management. Harry has always said that at whatever level he works at, it's not about the person or the ego, it's about treating them as a player and coaching them as a player, as opposed to worrying about what they might think of you. You've got to be pretty strong-willed and strong-minded in your own ability to do that, and they are definitely that.'
