A Swansea store assistant is heading Stateside to show soccer crazy youngsters some neat footwork of his own.
Andrew Lawson, 21, works part-time at the Quadrant Shopping Centre’s Schuh footwear store and is taking time out to spend 10 weeks in Cincinnati coaching football skills.
The Swansea University Sports Management student says the secondment will form part of his degree course.
He said: “I’m going in June and I’ll be coaching mainly six to 12-year-olds. It’s part of the Challenger Sports British Soccer Camp programme which is hugely popular across the States.
“I didn’t chose Cincinnati, Ohio, you are told where they want you to go, but I’m really happy about it. I’m able to drive so they take things like that into account when deciding on where you should go to coach.
“It’s important so they get the right people in the right place. It’s no good sending someone somewhere remote if they can’t drive. I don’t know yet exactly where I’ll be it may be in the city or somewhere a bit more remote.”
He added: “I’m from Cardiff and my mum and dad, Mark and Brenda, are hoping to come out to visit me. I’ve also got two brothers, Joseph and Matthew, but they won’t be able to visit.
“Unfortunately the flights might also prove to be a bit expensive for my girlfriend, Ellen Jenkins, who lives in Cardiff, to be able to come out so it might be a long 10 weeks!
“I’m really excited about the trip though and I am looking at including a trip to New York, a place I’ve always wanted to go to, into my itinerary.”
Andrew, who plays in the Swansea University football team, says he is keen to see what the standard is among the American kids.
He said: “I play centre midfield usually and as well as playing for the uni I have played in local leagues in and around Cardiff.
“It will be interesting to see just how good American youngsters are at football, or soccer, as they insist on calling it. The Challenger Sports British Soccer Camps is huge and they send out more than 1,000 coaches right across America every summer.”
Ian Kirkpatrick, Manager of the Quadrant Shopping Cetre, said: “It’s good to see someone from the Quadrant spreading the football gospel to the USA.
“I’m sure there will be plenty of football fans over there who have now heard of Swansea thanks to the club’s exploits in the Premiership and maybe Andrew can convert a few to be Swans supporters.”
And Andrew says he hopes to be back behind the Schuh counter when he returns from coaching in the US.
He said: “I’ve worked part-time for the company for more than 12 months and although I have to officially leave as they can’t sanction 10 weeks absence, my manager has said he will try and keep some hours open for me for when I get back.
“I really enjoy working at Schuh. The Quadrant is a great place. The customers are brilliant and the Schuh team is superb. I really do enjoy working there.”
