Charlie Setford
Born 11th May 2004 of English/Dutch parentage. Scouted age 7, Ajax Amsterdam has been his footballing home for the past 10 seasons.
Witnessing The Netherlands 2010 World Cup campaign was enough to convince him of the journey he was going to undertake: To try and become one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Playing for fun. The Early Days
Charlie kicked off his career at the tender age of just four years old at Racing Club Heemstede.
How the dream started
World Cup Final Netherlands v Spain 2010 to be precise. A few tears were shed by Charlie, Tommy being too young to acknowledge what all the fuss was about. Maarten Stekelenburg was arguably the best keeper in the world at that moment at it ignited a passion to be just like him.
Joining Ajax
After several trials and an anxious wait Charlie was finally called by Ajax to ask if he would like to be their goalkeeper in the U9 team.
The tournament years, making a name for himself
From U8 through U15 Tournament football makes up a big part of the spring/summer schedule at Ajax. Charlie and Tommy have been fortunate enough to have travelled far and wide experiencing different cultures whilst developing their own goalkeeping skills.
Dutch National Team
Having missed out on being selected for the Dutch U14 squad the previous year Charlie was more determined to put things right.
England National Team
FIFA rules allow that playing for two national teams at a young age permissible. Born of an English father and Dutch mother he took full advantage making his debut in a 2-0 defeat of Denmark.
Jong Ajax
Having been training with Jong Ajax since the back end of 2019/20 Charlie was finally handed his big opportunity on 20/08/21 making his debut in a 3-2 away victory over FC Den Bosch.
Youth League and Champions League
Due to an injury to first team keeper Maarten Stekelenburg Charlie found himself suddenly elevated from Jong Ajax to being a regular squad member of the first team.