Youth soccer players in Chester get professional lessons from English Premiere League coaches

CHESTER, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Two English Premier League teams, Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC, are gearing up for a friendly soccer match at Subaru Park in Chester on Wednesday. Before the match, the Liverpool coaches are working this week with the Philadelphia Union Foundation to teach the game to some local kids.

“I’m excited about meeting new people, and I get to learn new things,” said 8-year-old Caleb Colter, one of the kids participating in the multi-day soccer clinic.

And he’s pretty pumped up about learning from an English football club that’s been around since 1892.

“I like offense, because I get to just run down with the ball and score a goal,” he said.

Shane Garnett, another participant, plays midfield and center back for the Chester Union , an all-ages philanthropic soccer club for boys and girls, run by the Foundation. He says he’s excited to see soccer growing in his neighborhood.

“We don’t have any soccer in Chester before, and we’re the first to do it for real,” Shane said.

And he says working with the coaches this week is a great way for him to grow his game. Kids taking part in the clinic get to learn everything from dribbling to finishing.

“I feel good because this is opportunities opening up for us. It’s great for the team, it’s great for me. It’s good to get coaching from other coaches.”

Matt Parish, one of those Liverpool coaches, says the camp is about more than just learning the tricks of the trade.

“This is not about coaching, necessarily, the most gifted players — but this is about giving all young people the opportunity to have a little bit of Liverpool Football Club while we’re over here.”

Parish says the clinic is a great opportunity to bond with different cultures that have soccer in common.

“There will be different coaching styles, but football’s a universal language,” he said.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to do this around the world — in Africa and Asia, in the States, as well as the U.K., obviously — and I think sometimes, even if there’s a language barrier, you just get the ball out.”