FOOTBALL – FORMER England and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard honoured around 200 young footballers yesterday in the closing ceremony of the Steven Gerrard Soccer Schools Half Term Camp, held over a period of four days this week at the St Christopher’s School junior campus in Saar.
Gerrard, who is now the head coach of Dammam-based Al Ettifaq FC in Saudi Arabia, presented certificates and memorabilia to the participants, both boys and girls aged six to 16 of different nationalities.
Also present were the children’s parents, a team of his academy’s coaches who flew in from the UK to conduct the camp, St Christopher’s School principal Dr Simon Watson, and school officials.
“It’s been really amazing for the footballers,” Dr Watson told the GDN. “They’ve loved every minute of the camp, and it has surpassed all our expectations. You can see the enthusiasm of all the players – it’s been really positive and well-received.
“To have someone like Steven Gerrard involved has been amazing. He has been so kind and generous with his time – we’ve seen him taking photos, signing everything. He’s been fantastic and such an ambassador for the sport and the school.
“Overall, a huge success and we couldn’t have hoped for anything better.”
Participants in the camp were divided into two age groups – between six and 11 years old and from 12 to 16. They trained in teams named after top global football clubs, with the programme being conducted by a team of eight Steven Gerrard Academy coaches – all from the UK and certified by the Union of European Football Associations (Uefa).
“We try to make our players well-rounded on the pitch and off the pitch – it’s really important to not only be good players, but also good people,” Steven Gerrard Academy head of football Todd Blayney told the GDN.
“In this camp, we’ve seen a willingness to learn. From day one through to day four, there was a real notable progression from the players.
“We try to embed the tactical and technical aspects of football into the programme – a little bit of everything in learning how to play in the Steven Gerrard Academy way.
“Our hope now and guidance for them is to go away and work with all the skills that they have learned and take it back to their club football.”
Blayney highlighted the importance Gerrard gives to such camps. “It’s something that’s really close to Steven’s heart,” he said. “He’s been visible every day, giving guidance and feedback to the young players, aiming just to inspire them.
“I think you can see in their faces the smiles and the confidence they are gaining. These are really important for these sorts of younger levels, where it’s about enjoyment. They can build on that and from there see their football flourish.”
Nine-year-old St Christopher’s student Felix Long expressed his delight in being a part of the camp. “The training was really good and the coaches helped me learn a lot of new things,” he said. “It was really exciting and I enjoyed it a lot.”
Thirteen-year-old Nancy Jefferies flew in to Bahrain from the UK just to be a part of the camp upon the invitation of friends based here.
“We had really good training days and did stuff that will make you do better as a player,” she said. “The most important things I learned were about teamwork, resilience, and always working hard to improve.”
A second edition of the camp is being planned at St Christopher’s for February of next year, and youngsters are already looking forward to it.
“We had an amazing experience this time and I can’t wait to do this again in February,” said eight-year-old Abdulla Alkhanizi, who took part in the camp with his six-year-old brother Faisal. “I also got Steven Gerrard’s signature on my shirt,” Abdulla added with a smile.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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