Achi news desk-
The former Bournemouth and Brighton and Hove Albion forward – now an EFL ambassador – presented the school with a Southampton Football Club shirt, signed by members of the first team.
It comes after the school’s U11 team in six qualified for the final of the Utilita Kids Cup, which will be held at Wembley Stadium before next month’s Football League Championship Final.
The team will play the small sided game representing Southampton – wearing the colors of the Saints – against another school representing West Bromwich.
The competition started in 2007 and sees more than 700 schools across England and Wales take part each year.
After a meeting with Glenn Murray – who scored 217 goals across his 18-year career – the former Premier League striker held a training session with the school’s U11 team on the primary school’s 3G pitch, before taking part in the match.
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He told the Echo: “I think since the start of the initiative, over 350,000 children have been involved in the competition nationwide which is an incredible amount.
“It’s something I’ve been involved in since I retired three years ago. It’s an amazing competition that gets young kids to participate in a team sport – a sport that I also owe everything to – and a sport that I feel very passionate about.
“I’m someone who’s been in their shoes and been lucky enough to have a successful career, so if I can it would be nice to try and inspire the next generation.”
Bayern Munich winger Jamal Musiale and Manchester United midfielder are two notable names who have previously taken part in the EFL Utilita Kids Cup.
Although Murray admits it is an amazing opportunity for the youngsters to play at Wembley – something he has managed to do twice in his career – he said the participation the competition offers is the most important.
He added: “I think it’s more important now than ever to get kids playing together – playing sports – like the world we live in now, there’s a lot of online games and sometimes sports can be a bit overlooked.”
St. Patrick’s Catholic Elementary School principal Michael Lubo said Laco was very proud of his students for doing so well in the competition.
He said: “Although we are only a tiny school in the depths of Southampton, it shows what can be done when the children believe in themselves.”
