Former Premier League football club captain Ledley King scored with students during a visit to celebrate the third anniversary of a training partnership between Tottenham Hotspur and Waltham Forest College.

The club and college set up a programme three years ago, combining study towards level one, two and three BTec sport and coaching qualifications with football training, for 50 students at risk of drifting away from education and training after leaving school.

That programme has now trebled in size, with nearly 150 students registering from September. Mr King, who played for Tottenham from 1999 to 2012, unveiled a plaque at the college to mark the anniversary and spoke with learners.

The former central defender, who won 21 caps for England, told them: “In my career I saw plenty of good players fall by the wayside because they did not work hard enough. My advice would be to work hard and follow your dream.”

Amy Lewington, aged 18, who is studying on the programme, said: “I was studying A-levels at school but it wasn’t for me. I want to get into coaching and teaching and this course is brilliant.”

 

Caption from left: Waltham Forest College principal Robin Jones and ex-Spurs captain Ledley King with students on the training programme.

 

EMPRA_banner-for-web

 

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *