Sheffield Wednesday legend links up with local club to ‘give back’ to community that raised him
Modern-day Sheffield Wednesday legend, Liam Palmer, is rekindling his School of Excellence this summer – and has teamed up with Worksop Town to do so.
The Owls defender, who has played over 460 games for the club since coming through as an academy graduate, is eager to give back to the community that he was raised in, and has set up a base for kids of numerous ages to try and forge their way in football.
Palmer has even roped in a current Wednesday teammate, Jack Hall, to help with specialised goalkeeper training, with the youngster hoping to bring his experience at Middlewood Road and with England’s youth teams into the fold. For the long-serving Owl, it’s a passion project that he’s very excited about.
Speaking to The Star, he explained, “We’re relaunching the School of Excellence from a new home at Worksop Town, and we’re going to have teams from seven-years-old up to U16s after the trials on the 17th of May… We’ve also got holiday camps that will be in line with the school holidays.
“On top of that we’re going to be doing a post-16 scholarship programme that involves mainly education, but based at Worksop Town doing it there which will give them access to the pitch everyday - so that’s really exciting for people that aren’t so academic and want to keep learning, but learning whilst playing football. Hopefully with the Worksop Town alignment we can get a few back into the game, or set them on the path to being physios or coaches or analysts - whatever they want to do.
Liam Palmer is giving back to the community
“We’re also going to be having development community sessions on a Saturday morning, and goalkeeping sessions that Jack Hall is going to be coming in to do. There’s lots to go at.”
And the 33-year-old is planning to be hands on, too, being very selective of the type of people involved and the sort of things the youngsters will be taught.
“I’m just looking to set everything back up and have a real bash at it,” ‘Palms’ explained. “It’s something that I’m passionate about, and as somebody from the local area I want to give back to the community and the kids. We want to create a fun and friendly environment where they can come and learn football.
“I want to try and pass on my knowledge, and have coaches in place that follow my morals and professionalism - that’s a big thing for me. And I want to make it really transparent for the parents.”
Meanwhile, the Tigers said on their website, “We are thrilled to announce an exciting new venture with Palmer School of Excellence that we believe will create more opportunities for the football club and community impact.
“Learning, together, we will create innovative programs that inspire and empower young athletes, fostering both academic and athletic excellence… The venture with Palmer School of Excellence marks an exciting new chapter, and we cannot wait to share all the amazing things ahead.”
Spots in the trials later this month can be booked by clicking this link, but spaces are rapidly filling up, so you might need to act fast.
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