Student Serves As Mascot For Chelsea Football Club

Ewan Hardy, a fourth-grader at Folger McKinsey Elementary School, had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve as a child mascot for his favorite English Premier League club, Chelsea Football Club, at Stamford Bridge in London this spring.

Child mascots (typically ages 6–14) are the young people who accompany players onto the pitch, or field, just before kickoff — a tradition used by many professional clubs and leagues around the world.

Because Chelsea’s mascot program has a long waitlist, Ewan’s parents registered him when he was 3 years old. COVID extended the wait even further, so they were thrilled to receive his assignment seven years later: an April 2026 match against Premier League powerhouse Manchester City.

On matchday, as a mascot, Ewan watched both teams arrive at Stamford Bridge and got to greet players from each side. He then watched warm-ups from the field before walking onto the pitch with the team for player introductions. Ewan was paired randomly with Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos. After the walkout, Ewan joined his parents in the stands to watch the match. Chelsea lost that day, but it didn’t dampen Ewan’s excitement. He is still talking about the experience and the behind-the-scenes access.

“It was really exciting and I had a lot of fun,” Ewan said. “I really liked meeting the players I watch on TV. Out of all the things in the world, I will not forget that trip.”

In terms of cost, the program itself was minimal: there was no fee to join the waitlist, and once their son was assigned a match, Ewan’s parents enrolled him as a Chelsea junior member (about $35) and purchased a full home “kit” (uniform) for the walkout. The family covered their travel expenses to London (a trip they had planned and saved for). Match tickets for Ewan and both parents were included.