Twenty five youth ambassadors have been quizzing Liverpool FC’s First Team Coach, Mike Marsh on what it takes to develop young people in Liverpool.
Mike spent the afternoon at Anfield Stadium with the youngsters who are part of the Liverpool FC Foundation’s Youth Ambassadors Scheme, which is a partnership with Liverpool City Council that was launched to help young people gain future employment.
Mike gave them an insight into LFC’s first team management set up as well as giving his opinion on what it takes to develop as a young person in Liverpool.
Mike Marsh said: “Today has been great. Coming from Liverpool I know how tough it can be as a teenager so initiatives like the Youth Ambassador Scheme are a fantastic opportunity to help youngsters gain skills and confidence.
“I was lucky enough to play for Liverpool’s first-team as a youngster, but when I was a teenager, there were no schemes like this available. There is no doubt that programmes like this give young people an opportunity to develop a more positive future.”
The Youth Ambassadors Scheme was launched in April 2012 and has proved to be a huge success providing 25 young people aged 16-19 part-time employment with the Club. Ten of those have now moved on to full-time employment with new organisations as a result of the training, experience and confidence gained during the programme.
The second phase of the programme has recruited a further 25 young people who started working and representing the Club in January.
Mark Haig, Liverpool FC Foundation’s Head of Operations, said: “It has been great to have Mike here today. He has grown up in Liverpool and is now part of the LFC coaching staff; so he’s without question someone the youngsters can really look up to.
“The Liverpool FC Foundation is dedicated to encouraging young people into enterprise and opportunities to help improve their lives. As a joint initiative, both the Liverpool FC Foundation and the Liverpool City Council are delighted with the success of the scheme so far and know it will continue to go from strength to strength.”
As part of the scheme, the Youth Ambassadors study for a level one qualification with the Liverpool FC Foundation, helping their employment credentials. They will also act as representatives of the city, greeting travelling football fans and distributing information about the city’s sights and attractions.
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