Young Reds visit Singapore school
The pupils of Coral Secondary School in Singapore had an extra spring in their step on their way into class this morning as they prepared for a visit from the young Liverpool squad in town for the NexLions Cup.
The 17-man squad - featuring some players who only finished school themselves this year - only arrived in Singapore on Wednesday afternoon but this morning took time out from their training schedule to put on a football clinic for local kids.
While there was no disguising the excitement amongst the schoolchildren when the Liverpool bus pulled up outside the school gates, according to the Reds' U21 head coach Alex Inglethorpe, the activity was as much a learning experience for the Liverpool players as it was for the kids they coached.
"The young boys who the lads coached were unbelievably enthusiastic about not just football but also Liverpool Football Club," claimed Inglethorpe. "They knew the players who turned up despite many of them not having appeared in a first team game yet.
"They'd made posters and cut images of the players out for the boys to sign. They went to a great deal of effort to make our boys feel welcome and it really worked.
"I think our lads really rose to the challenge as well and really tried to give something back to these kids. They were very interactive in how they communicated with the kids and I thought the way they all led their own little coaching exercises was very impressive.
"The conditions were difficult because it was very humid but there were still lots of smiles and I think they genuinely got something out of it.
"I see events like this as a crucial part of our young players' development because it helps them realise just how big an impact they can have on peoples' lives - not just in England but throughout the world.
"It's good for the boys to have to come out of their comfort zone sometimes and do things that probably aren't natural to them - like coaching or communicating when there can be a slight language or cultural barrier. To overcome that in a very short space of time and win friends and make new connections is a fantastic element of their development process."
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