Tyler Dibling, who made his league debut for Southampton against Sheffield Wednesday in January 2004, was reported by the (East Devon) Midweek Herald in October 2021 as having been part of the Exeter City academy as a seven-year-old. This would have seen him playing for the under-8s in 2013/14.

Born in Exeter, but growing up in Axminster and later attending Axe Valley school, Tyler switched to Southampton’s academy in 2014 and played for England at under-16 level ahead of leaving school in 2022. He had also played age-group foootball for Millwey Rise and Axminster Town as a child.

Already featuring in Southampton's under-18 team, Tyler was an unused substitute for the Premier League fixture against Brentford in May 2022 whilst still a year 11 student. Briefly transferring to Chelsea at the start of his time as a scholar/trainee, Tyler soon returned to Southampton and appeared for the club's under-21 team in the EFL Trophy against Exeter City in October 2022. Now establishing himself in Saints' under-21 team, he appeared for England under-17s in both the European Championships and World Cup whilst making his EFL Cup debut in August 2023 and his first league appearance in January 2024.