Prem cult hero opens up on children cup that has seen Adam Wharton and Man Utd starlet
EXCLUSIVE Premier League cult hero Glenn Murray has opened up on his role as an ambassador for the Utilita Kids Cup – a unique tournament that gives school boys the chance to play at Wembley
Glenn Murray is an ambassador for the Utilita Kids Cup
“I think after being a professional and having that mentality to keep moving forward, once your career ends you kind of stop for a second and appreciate what got you there in the first place – the next generation coming through,” Glenn Murray admitted.
The football season is coming to an end – and for a select few football clubs it means a trip to Wembley. However, the professionals won’t be the only ones gracing the hallowed turf of football’s most famous ground.
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The youth tournament is one of the country’s largest national football competitions.
The road to Wembley starts when the new school term starts and each EFL club organises a local competition for all local schools wishing to take part – the winning school representing the club.
All EFL clubs are first split into three divisions, in line with club’s divisional status, before being again split into two groups, north and south. And it’s the winners of these two divisions that will clash at Wembley.
The U11 team from Dulverton Primary School are representing Charlton Athletic – and they’ll face St Leonards School representing Blackburn Rovers later this month.
Murray was at Dulverton to meet the kids before their cup final, and speaking to Daily Star Sport he added: “I think as you get older you want to give back a little bit more.
“Getting kids out, playing football, playing sport, keeping fit, building relationships with their peers.
“Obviously I really like the aspect of it from the point of view of EFL clubs and football clubs, because I’m a big believer that a football club is a representation of its local community.
“And this is exactly that, reconnecting to its local community and being represented by the next generation. So I think it’s quite awesome. I love this stuff.”
The former Brighton and Crystal Palace striker added that while Wembley is the “cherry on top of everything” the real win is the “day-to-day stuff – the tournaments, getting kids out, everything they have to go through to get to Wembley.”
And when the kids get to walk out at the famous stadium, Murray will be there to cheer them on and give them some words of advice.
He added: “I’ll just tell them how special it is and how it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“I’ll tell them not to worry about the result and just enjoy being in the changing rooms, getting to walk out where so many amazing teams have walked out before, and afterwards, win or lose, getting to walk the steps!”
The tournament has seen some future footballing stars participate – way back in 2015, Adam Wharton was part of the Utilita Kids Cup.
Wharton, who was at Salesbury Church of England Primary School, won the tournament when his primary school earned the right to represent Blackburn Rovers in the competition.
While Man Utd youngster Harry Amass was part of a school side representing Colchester United that rocked up to the home of football in the final during the 2017/18 season.
