The Melwood site will be re-purposed to offer sport and educational opportunities for children from the Liverpool City region; Liverpool formally left the site in November 2020; other sporting partners include swim! and Beth Tweddle Gymnastics
Friday 14 May 2021 11:36, UK
The Fowler-Carragher Academy, overseen by former Liverpool players Robbie Fowler and Jamie Carragher, will take over operational responsibilities at the club's former Melwood training ground.
Liverpool officially moved to a brand-new facility at Kirkby in November 2020 and Melwood will now offer a range of training and educational opportunities.
The Academy will work with partners, including swim! and Beth Tweddle Gymnastics - led by former Great Britain Olympians Steve Parry and Beth Tweddle respectively - who will launch sporting hubs from the site.
The joint venture, which also includes North West housing and regeneration group Torus, will provide a space for young people from across the Liverpool City region, while Melwood will also become a college site.
Discussing the announcement, Fowler and Carragher said: "Partnering with Torus to kick off the new chapter in Melwood's history was a natural fit for the Fowler-Carragher Academy and our mission to give local kids and young people opportunities to aspire and succeed.
"We are extremely excited to provide the unique offer of a fantastic education alongside a professional football programme backed by sport science experts."
Those involved hope to give the facilities a new lease of life, safeguard the site's future and introduce new sports to young people.
Development of the site was subject to two rounds of community consultation and Torus' chief executive Steve Coffey, added: "Melwood is an iconic site - for West Derby, for Liverpool and for Torus.
"We called our community consultation 'a legacy beyond football' to underline our vision for a landmark housing-led scheme.
"Retaining a strong sporting connection was always high on our list of priorities."
