Less than 24 hours after adding another sublime free kick to his catalogue of Liverpool goals, Trent Alexander-Arnold has gone one step further in cementing cult hero status in Merseyside. The Reds’ defender is now orchestrating outside of the touchline, by agreeing to pay for 250 young children to play football in his boyhood neighbourhood, Toxteth.
‘The Trent Alexander-Arnold League’ will give five and six-year-olds the opportunity to play in an organised league, based at the Tiber Football Centre and St Edwards College in the Liverpool district.
Grassroots football can often be expensive, with many families struggling to pay for the equipment and resources necessary to ensure their children can enjoy the game stress-free, with the same advantages that their fellow peers will have at their disposal.
After gaining support through funding, the development centres will serve as a device to not only help players in the league emulate the right-back’s rise to stardom, but to relieve the pressure on many parents’ shoulders to be able to fund their child’s hobby.
Rumour has it that a few players from the league have already caught the eyes of Liverpool’s prestigious youth academy. And who knows, maybe one of the young starlets could grow up to reach the awe-inspiring heights of the 23-year-old, with his assist record from a defender being a goal that the next generation will inevitably have their eyes upon. The age-old saying of “nobody wants to grow up to be a Gary Neville” is fading as the days go on, and with initiatives such as the ‘The Trent Alexander-Arnold League’, more and more children are taking inspiration from their hometown idols.
This is a concept that has been spear-headed by Trent’s compatriot, Marcus Rashford, who has seen his community work receive appraisal far and wide. Gone are the days where footballers were discouraged from using their platform to spark change. This will certainly not be the last of Trent’s community work, and will undoubtedly act as a catalyst for other players to give back to the communities which lifted them into the positions they are now in.
Give flowers where they are due. This is yet another example to prove that the future of English football is shining bright, on and off the pitch.
