According to Trent Alexander-Arnold, the cost was justified. He sacrificed a large portion of his youth in order to become one of the select few who reach the pinnacle of football. There were no hangouts with pals, no house parties, and not even school stroll home. Now that his FA Cup, Premier League, and Champions League medals are securely tucked away at home, the full-back for Liverpool and England is extending his After Academy outreach to others who were not successful.
More than ninety-nine percent of those enrolled in a Premier League school will never play professionally. Alexander-Arnold was deluged with accounts from children and their families, describing anything from a loss of identity and mentаl health issues to suicidаl thoughts, after utilising social media to assess the scope of the issue. His personal addition to the solution-finding process is his After Academy. Its main goal will be to assist teens in locating jobs and internships. He claims, “I’m lucky in that, looking back, I believe every sacrifice I made was worthwhile.”
“I’m one of the very, very, very few players who can make that claim. However, I doubted that any of the other fifteen or sixteen kids that I played with could. Is that really fair?
For instance, everyone here is aware that, even as a little child, someone practices and plays for Liverpool. It defines you and becomes a part of who you are. People would sаy things like, “You’re [at] Liverpool Academy, you’re this, that,” as I recall passing by on the street.
“I didn’t mind at all. You take pride in the fact that you were and are recognised as such. You lose your identity when something is taken away from you, though. because in exchange for it, you have given and sacrificed all. It like an identity crisis, almost.
In the age group of Alexander-Arnold Academy, there were sixteen boys. A vehicle would usually pick them up at 7 a.m. and drop them off at their house for homework, food, and bed shortly after 8 p.m. It would be his life for the next four years, and he would go to bed fatigued.
Alexander-Arnold, who was up in the Liverpool suburb of West Derby, was in his second year of school when the club drew his nаme out of a hat to attend a half-term vacation training camp. At the age of seven, he played matches on Sundays and trained after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He was pulled out of PE after he signed the club’s first contract at the age of eight.
He claims, “I wasn’t permitted to play any football outside of the academy.” “The potential for harm wasn’t worth it.”
Additionally, he was unable to spend holidays with his family.
He claims, “The off-season didn’t line up with school.” “So you were still in school when the season ended?” And then when school finishes, you’re back in training. I didn’t go on a family vacation again until I was 17 or 18. I went on one when I was around 11. But I wasn’t bothered by it.
Because the Under-17 European Championships were taking place in Bulgaria, Alexander-Arnold took his GCSEs earlier than his peers. “Fortunately, my parents were strict with me about schoolwork and education,” he continues. As a result, I had to always practise discipline and accuracy.
“Everything was done correctly; the invigilators were sent out by the school board.”
The emerging celebrity never once went to a house party, hung around, or even took his friends home by foot after school.
“Looking back, my brothers, everyone I knew was doing that,” he utters. However, there were sacrifices required of everyone who aspired to play football. It wasn’t just me. All I wаnted to do was give myself every opportunity. I reasoned that if it’s something I truly desire and I think I can achieve it, I won’t take short cuts or deceive myself into achieving it. I promise to give it everything I’ve got.
“And all for the chance to even smell what I’ve accomplished, I would do it all a million times over.”
Alexander-Arnold, who is thriving at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp, has the potential to win the Premier League, Europa League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup by the end of the current campaign, which would be an unprecedented quadruple.
It may be an emotional finale to an exciting season, with Klopp departing the team at the end of the current campaign. However, Alexander-Arnold is equally dedicated to making a significant contribution to the city where he rose to fаme.
His After Academy Jobs Board will make it easier for teenagers freed from clubs to find fulfilling employment. It seeks to provide insight into a life beyond football and is supported by Liverpool FC as well as a number of sponsors, such as Red Bull, Hugo Boss, Adidas, Versus, Therabody, and Under Armour.
“There are so many different avenues within football,” adds Alexander-Arnold. However, companies are increasingly beginning to see how valuable the experiences and knowledge we receive in academies are.
“At the age of sixteen, ten years of academy education has taught me the importance of teamwork, communication, sacrifice, discipline, routine, hard work, following directions, and teamwork.
However, I’ve also become aware of the drawbacks. All of that is really useful to a firm when compared to someone else my age.
