Liverpool FC coaches bring high-level skills to 80 children

COACHES from the Liverpool FC Foundation engaged some 80 children from a Tallaght school recently in a day-long community camp which focused on skills development and general wellbeing.

Pupils from St Aidan’s Senior National School in Brookfield were treated to a supremely high level of coaching, fun and games through a community programme which was delivered by the LFC Foundation.

Working with Shamrock Rovers, which was striving towards engaging communities through football, six Liverpool coaches held the camp in the school grounds.

St Aidan’s principal Tomás Hayes, secretary Debbie Flood and School Completion programme workers Fiona Dunleavy and Lee Anne Russell jumped at the opportunity to provide an extra outlet for students over the summer months.

“The kids were on the go from the second the camp started until the end, they were so engaged because it was so well organised,” Mr Hayes tells The Echo.

“There was such a high quality of coaching and the health aspect as well that we wanted to try expose as many kids as possible from our community to.

“It was so well planned out, it went really well, I genuinely couldn’t speak highly enough of it.

A Liverpool coach passing on advice to pupils from St Aidan’s

“It was huge for us as well because we had our summer camps and then this overlapped with those, so it helps with summer engagement with the school.

“It brings a combination of motivation towards school and exercise for the kids, because we’re linking back in with them, even just to check-in and see how they are getting on over the summer months.

“Then of course they get to see you in a different environment as well, which is huge again.”

Children aged eight to 13 years old – with first-year students invited back to the primary school – enjoyed the football experience which was completed across six different stations.

While some of the stations focused on skills, another was classroom-based and centred around mental health.

Halfway through the day, the children stopped for a break – all of the food was sponsored by Jordan’s SuperValu Fortunestown.

Afterwards, football took centre stage again through a mini-world cup, with an awards presentation afterwards rewarding the children for their participation in the day.

The school ran two summer camps in July with the LFC Foundation initiative on July 18 bridging the gap between schools’ end and the start of the new term on August 29.

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