Back to school
Friday, 23 October, 2009
Jill Scott and Fara Williams visit Montgomery High ahead of Malta game
Ahead of England's opening World Cup Qualifier, against Malta on Sunday, midfielders Fara Williams and Jill Scott, visited Montgomery High School in Blackpool, aiming to inspire local youngsters to get more involved in the Women’s game.
Williams and Scott were a key part of the England squad that reached the European Championship Final in the summer and they are both looking to help get The Three Lions off to a winning start in Lancashire at the weekend. However, in the build up Sunday’s game they were keen to meet young players from the local area and took them through a few training drills.
“I remember when I was younger and Aran Embleton, who was playing for England at the time, came to visit us at the academy," recalled Scott. "It was such an exciting day for us to meet and spend time with her that we all made sure that we played our best to impress her.
“Personally, I feel very lucky to be in a position to be able to do things like this. Spending time with the kids and signing a few autographs is very rewarding and hopefully it makes them happy too.”
As Scott alluded, as well as leading the training session the two midfielders took some time out to sign autographs and answer questions. They also provided each girl with a complimentary ticket to Sunday’s Qualifier.
“If us taking part in a school visit or a coaching session like this helps to inspire any of these girls to start playing or continue to play then that’s a great thing for us to be a part of,” said Williams, who went on to give her thoughts on the weekend’s big game.
“Malta are a bit of an unknown quantity for us but Hope will have done her homework and will make sure that we’re all up to speed come Sunday.
“The European Championship was a massive tournament for us and getting to the Final was a big step forward, we just have to keep that momentum going.
“We are quite optimistic going into this campaign because we’ve got a lot of younger players coming through, a few of which were in the squad in Finland, so that bodes well.”