World Cup Stars Trent Alexander-Arnold and Raheem Sterling’s former school boosting football in Liverpool thanks to the Football Foundation

Rainhill High School provides education for Liverpool FC Academy players from across the world who live in the area who, thanks to investment from the UK's biggest sports charity, have access to state-of-the-art sports facilities.

The £600,000 floodlit 3G football turf pitch (FTP) and changing rooms were made possible thanks to a £300,000 Football Foundation grant as well as an additional £300,000 raised by the Liverpool FC foundation and the school itself.

These facilities have created more pathways for young people into the sport by relieving the school’s dependence on its grass pitches, which were poorly lit and poorly drained, leaving them unusable for much of the year. 

Yacine Rachi, Head of PE at Rainhill High School, said: 

“This facility has been pivotal for us as a school in our local community. Before it was here, there were just a couple of muddy pitches. Now, we can have elite athletes playing alongside disadvantaged students who otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to play.  

“Quite simply, without the help of the Football Foundation, we wouldn’t have been able to afford such a fantastic facility.” 

The people of Liverpool are also benefiting from a massive £12.7 million cash injection from the Foundation as well as an additional £7.8 million in funding from Liverpool City Council to create four Hub sites – Jeffrey Humble, Jericho Lane, Heron Eccles and Simpson. 

Between them, these Hubs boast a dozen floodlit 3G FTPs as well as health, fitness and coaching facilities, which are used by around 850,000 people in the local community. 

Ian Branigan, Liverpool FC Scout, said:  

“The Liverpool Hubs have been absolutely fantastic for the city. It’s really important that future players are going to come from these facilities thanks to the Football Foundation. 

“Playing grassroots football on facilities like these is pivotal to becoming a top-flight player. If you look at the make-up of Gareth Southgate’s squad, a lot of them have come up from the grassroots level.”  

The Hubs have strong connections to both Liverpool and Everton Football Clubs (FC), with both the Blues’ charity using the sites to deliver sixth-form education, Kicks sessions for junior footballers and Soccer Schools. Meanwhile, Liverpool FC use them for their girls’ development programme.   

As well as improving sporting opportunities, the Hubs also provide a boost to the social wellbeing of the local community, with sessions being run to combat knife crime, improve mental health and support the local Women’s Institute. 

Robert Sullivan, CEO of the Football Foundation, said: 

“The Football Foundation is working closely with our partners – the Premier League, The FA and Government through Sport England – to transform access to grassroots facilities across the country.  

“The facilities in Liverpool are a shining example of the power of pitches not only to produce future England stars, but to transform local lives and communities through offering more opportunities for people to play their favourite sports and get active.” 

“Playing grassroots football on facilities like these is pivotal to becoming a top-flight player. If you look at the make-up of Gareth Southgate’s squad, a lot of them have come up from the grassroots level.”