A group of coaches from the Liverpool FC Foundation are currently on a short visit to con-duct a series of training sessions and to hold talks with local schoolchildren.
The community coaches from the renowned English club were invited here by the Liverpool Supporters Club (Malta).
“It’s a great privilege for us to be here and give a helping hand to our Liverpool family in Malta,” Bill Bygroves, the head of the Liverpool community coaches, told reporters yesterday.
“This is our first time here and the aim behind this visit is to see that schoolchildren continue to enjoy the game and, more im-portantly, to lead them towards stronger family ties, a healthy lifestyle and to avoid drugs, bullying and bad company.
“Our goal is to encourage them to become better persons as they grow up.”
The Liverpool coaches have already started their assignment here.
On Monday they held an open training session for children at the Mosta FC training grounds and yesterday they were scheduled to meet children with special needs in Mġarr.
Today, the Liverpool coaches are due to visit the St Paul’s Missionary School in Rabat.
Besides exercises at the football ground at St Paul’s, students will also be encouraged to increase their awareness of disability issues in the society.
Other activities are scheduled for the St Benedict Primary School, in Birżebbuġa, tomorrow and on Friday the Anfield delegates will cross the channel to Gozo for another series of visits to schools on the sister island.
Charlie Farrugia, Liverpool Supporters Club (Malta) chair-man, said this was the first time that such initiative had been taken in Malta.
He said he was hopeful that other organisations here will follow suit in future and invite other football community coaches to visit the islands and meet Maltese youth.
“We have been working on this for almost two years now,” Farrugia said.
“For this, I would like to thank our secretary James Vella who has been the mastermind behind this initiative.
“It’s the first time that this kind of activities are held here. We expect others to follow our example as Maltese children can learn a lot from these people who are so experienced in this area.”
During their tour of the islands, the Liverpool coaches are also parading a replica of the UEFA Champions League trophy which the Anfield Reds last won in 2005 for a fifth time.