David Beckham Academy set to shut

The England midfielder, based for most of the year in the United States, wants to concentrate on expanding his coaching schemes across the world instead, using the Brand Beckham he has built up over his career.

Beckham (pictured left at the Academy's opening in 2005) has a similar facility in Los Angeles, where he plays for the LA Galaxy club.

The Greenwich Academy boasts two full-sized pitches with third generation artificial grass and has been hugely popular with schoolchildren, as well as many Wharfers who have played tournaments there.

The closure will mean staff having to be redeployed across the AEG group and The Wharf understands consultations are due to start with them.

AEG, who also own and operate the neighbouring O2, issued a statement confirming talks are underway to close the Academy.

It said: "At the end of the year the David Beckham Academy is likely to close.

"With the lease set to expire during 2010, the Academy is moving beyond one site to a coaching model that can reach more children in communities across the UK and internationally.

"David Beckham and senior coaching staff are currently developing these ambitious programmes and further exciting news on that front will follow in the forthcoming months.

"The DBA has been hugely successful with over 80,000 children benefiting from the country's best coaching and the world class facilities provided at the academy, many of those places given at no cost to the child or school.

"The aim now is to broaden its outreach giving an opportunity for considerably more children to experience the Academy across the country and around the world."

The venue will be used as a training facility during the 2012 Olympics, something that was always planned, but another use will need to be found for it until then.