Free video: Academy players trade kit for the day
Liverpool's U18s squad swapped their football attire for fire kit as they were put through their paces with firefighter training at Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service's Training and Development Academy in Croxteth.
The visit taught players about the range of specialist skills involved in the job and also gave them an opportunity to try their hand at firefighting.
They were given the opportunity to practise using rope access gear from a height, water hoses and working as a team in confined spaces.
The visit, which was led by watch manager Mike Cotgrave, culminated with a fire demonstration, showing the behaviour of a fire in a confined area.
Station manager Ged Sheridan said: “It was fantastic to host the Liverpool U18s and I hope they got a lot out of the visit.
"They managed to try activities they had never done before and attempt things that were slightly outside of their comfort zone. They were very encouraging of each other and performed really well with the challenge.”
Academy director, Alex Inglethorpe said: “At the Liverpool Academy our philosophy is to not only develop outstanding players but good human beings and we work hard to instill a sense of responsibility in our players through community work.
“Visits like this one allow our players to gain an understanding and respect for the work of people in our community and also gives them a taste of real world experience outside of football.”
The team will return for a further session with Merseyside Fire and Rescue later this month.
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