I won’t let kids go round the bend
SUCCESS BECKONS JWP’S SET-PIECE MASTERCLASS FOR LOCKDOWN-HIT YOUNGSTERS
HE USED to bend it like Beckham in the back garden – and sometimes he was a pane in the glass when stray free-kicks rearranged a neighbour’s greenhouse.
James Ward-Prowse learned to whip set pieces over the wall and into the top corner, or even next door’s shelf of tomato plants, at an early age.
And the Southampton captain would not have missed his academy upbringing for all the dollars in a Super League billionaire’s wallet.
Ward-Prowse and Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl will today host a live-streamed coaching session, beamed into hundreds of classrooms nationwide, from the club’s dream factory powered by Virgin Media. Research reveals that 57 percent of young people admit they had done less exercise since lockdown. Good luck to pupils trying to keep up with Hasenhuttl’s appetite for work.
Ward-Prowse has overtaken Saints legend Matt Le Tissier in scoring the most goals from set-piece bullseyes and said: “I’d watch Beckham, Gerrard and Le Tiss executing free-kicks to perfection and go straight in the back garden, try to replicate it and smash the poor bloke’s greenhouse over the back. Mum would be trying to get me indoors, dad would be egging me on to stay out there and the dog would be trying to get the ball.
“To have a skill where you can win a game with a free-kick is one of the best things. But I’m still not satisfied – there are other ways to score which I haven’t tasted yet. Part of my development in the academy was being asked to play in different positions and that has helped.
“But there was also an important accent, especially between 15 and 18, on making sure our schoolwork was in good order.”
Ward-Prowse added of the masterclass: “Hopefully it will get kids out playing sport after a difficult year.” ●The Virgin Media Football Academy has a live-streamed lesson today with Southampton FC to get schoolchildren active. Visit https://www.virginmedia. com/virgin-tv-edit/sport/virginmedia-football-academy.html
To have a skill is the best