'Two of my children play for England, I still pinch myself'

'Two of my children play for England, I still pinch myself'Image source, BBC/Harry LowImage caption, Nigel James has been coaching for 24 years ByHarry LowLondonPublished10 June 2026"Today I still pinch myself because you sit and think to yourself: has this actually happened?"For nearly a quarter of a century, Nigel James has been coaching young footballers in south-west London. Uniquely among coaches, two of his children, Lauren and Reece James, play football for their country - the first brother and sister to be senior England internationals in the modern era."Over and over I say to myself 'can I believe it?'," he says. "And it's reality, it's happening. The whole James family is very proud of what the children have achieved."I'm extremely proud. Your children doing what they want to do for a living and now to get to the highest level you could think of in football is a very proud moment."Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lauren and Reece both play football for England and ChelseaNigel's son Reece is expected to start at right back for England in the World Cup, which begins on Thursday.Speaking at his academy in Wimbledon, Nigel said: "Reece used to train with us on a Friday evening and he was with his friends, he would score goals. It was like an enjoyment youth club, which kids don't really go to any more, so this compensates for the youth club - to play and enjoy."Nigel's academy has also produced Jack Rudoni, soon to be a Premier League player with Coventry City."We've had two of my young players that progressed into the academy system just graduate from Cambridge and Oxford University," he adds, "so we don't just produce players, we produce good human beings and confident young men and women in the game."They meet different friends, they grow with confidence, so there's lots of different things that opens up for them."M...