Middle Park Juniors (and a few awe struck seniors) had the chance to meet and train with Liverpool FC stars on Monday night.
Andrew Wisdom was one of five first-team players to attend the clinic organised by the Liverpool FC Foundation in conjunction with the city of Melbourne – with Iago Aspas, Luis Alberto, Jay Spearing and Simon Mignolet also present.
“It’s great to come down to events like these and meet the kids,” Wisdom told LFCtour.com. “I’m still only a kid myself so I know how much it means to meet players from another country who you look up to.
“I grew up in Leeds and I always wanted to meet a professional footballer as a youngster but I never got the chance with any of the teams I played for. It’s something I dreamed about – meeting one of my idols in the flesh; so now I’m a player, I jump at the chance to attend events like this.
“We’ve been in Australia less than a day but the reaction from the fans to our visit is unbelievable. It’s freezing here compared to Jakarta but it hasn’t stopped the fans waiting for hours to see us everywhere we go.
“If anyone has seen the LFC TV footage of our arrival at the airport, it’s just unbelievable. It just went crazy and I think Stevie got caught up in a bit of a huddle and the security had to get involved to get him out of it but it’s great. All the lads love stuff like that!”
The event saw children aged between five and 16 from three different teams – South Yarra, Middle Park and South Melbourne Women – being put through their paces by a team of Foundation coaches for two hours before the players turned up to get involved.
For Forbes Duff, the event organiser from the Foundation, it was a brilliant success. “We visited a children’s hospital this morning to give out presents and try and bring a little bit of happiness to their lives and then this afternoon, we’ve been at this clinic for a few hours,” he said.
“To see the smiles on the faces of the kids when the players turned up was brilliant. This is what coming on tour is all about for Liverpool FC. Engaging with kids all over the world and giving something back to our fans.”
Talking after the session, MPFC Head Coach, Strati Xynas, promised that when the Parkers visit the UK the favour will be returned.
“A session or two with Helen would definitely help LFC’s passing game” he didn’t comment.
All in all, an unforgettable evening for the Parkers.