THIS IS MELWOOD
Carragher and Fowler help transform legendary training ground into an asset for the community
JAMIE CARRAGHER turns to Robbie Fowler and exclaims mischievously: “It’s just come to me, there's one memory of Melwood that stands out!”
We are talking about the magic of Liverpool’s old training ground, where the pair both arrived as wide-eyed kids, and grew into club legends.
Now they are helping save the fabled venue for future generations to use.
The pair have just merged their educational establishments to form the Fowler-Carragher Academy.
And in conjunction with Torus, a charitable community-based social housing enterprise, the complex where Jurgen Klopp so recently plotted their title triumph will now be their college headquarters.
Young people will once again grace the pitches that Fowler and
Carragher played on in their four
decades between them, and the talk is of the pranks they pulled.
“I can’t tell you any that are printable,” says Fowler. Then Carragher jumps in: “Do you remember that thing you did to
Xabi Alonso? It’s like the trick Pele does in Escape to Victory. Fowler replies, smiling: “The rainbow flick?” “Yeah! You flicked it over your head and Xabi’s head and rolled it into the little goal. No one had seen it before. They were all going nuts!”
Since Bill Shankly’s time (with singer Cilla Black, right), when Melwood was built, there have been many stories like that, and so much remarkable talent that makes the venue legendary.
Yet when Liverpool sold it there was a chance its sporting heritage would be lost forever. Torus are a community benefit society and want to keep its legacy and history.
Fowler and Carragher’s academy, which offers real educational and sporting opportunities to 16-19
year olds, was the answer – and they could not be more proud.
“It’s a thing we are most proud of. It’s huge. We are aware of what Melwood was. For us it will always have that link. It’s brilliant. Quite rightly, we should be proud about this,” says Fowler.
“There are lots of other people involved, it’s not just us two. But what we are offering, thanks to Torus, people can see the link with Liverpool FC and ourselves.”
Carragher adds: “We had so much opportunity within these walls, and now we’re part of the future where other youngsters will have opportunity too – chances of an education, and the chance to play football here.”
With Torus, there will be much more for the community.
Olympian Beth Tweddle’s gymnastics academy will be based there, as will swim!, the organisation headed by another Olympian, Steve Parry.
Along with affordable housing, there will also be a potential partnership with the PFA, offering sheltered housing to former professionals with dementia.
Carragher says that link with former players is something they will foster.
“That is a big passion of mine,” he said. “While it wasn’t easy for managers, could the door be left open for ex-players so they still felt part of the club?
“Ex-players who had been here 20 years earlier were reluctant to come.
“It links with the dementia issue. We want the door open to anyone from the past who wants to be involved, as well as being part of this community.”
They both still feel the call of the place, as Carragher reflects on the achievement of their academy.
“Not bad for a kid from Bootle, and a kid from Toxteth, eh?” he says.
Not bad indeed.