Jamie Carragher returned to his old school to donate a new football kit

Dec 5 2011 by James Pearce, Liverpool Echo

JAMIE CARRAGHER returned to his old school in Bootle to hand over a new football kit to delighted youngsters.

The Liverpool defender’s visit to All Saints Primary School was part of an initiative launched by the Premier League and the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) to boost the sport at grassroots level.

All 20 squads in the top flight have donated £25,000 to create a £500,000 fund to provide schools and clubs with free kit and equipment.

Carragher said: “It’s always great to come back.

“It’s All Saints now but it was St James’ when I was a lad.

“This is the area where I was born and brought up and I’ve got a lot of family and friends around here.

“People around here are very proud of what I’ve achieved at Liverpool.

“It’s important to me that I come back and recognise them as well.

“Hopefully one day we will see another kid from Marsh Lane doing as well as I’ve done if not better. That’s what we would all love to see.”

The PFA’s director of community John Hudson added: “The way the kids’ faces lit up when Jamie walked in, you could see what it meant to them.

“The aim of the initiative is to give something back to grassroots football and get players to inspire children to achieve.”