The ITFC star also said, ‘he has been welcomed with open arms’ to the club
A group of sports students kicked off the new term by having a question-and-answer session with an Ipswich Town Football Club (ITFC) star.
The learners from Suffolk New College are all on courses that are taught in partnership with the Ipswich Town Foundation, thanks to a deal that was signed between the two organisations in 2023.
As a result of this partnership, post 16 programmes have been created to support those wishing to get skills to gain careers in both football and sport in general.
Thanks to the link-up, learners from the college get access to amazing one-off opportunities, and most recently, around 50 young people experienced a talk with Ashley Young.
The former England international – who played 39 times for his country and scored seven goals – talked about his career, dealing with pressure, social media and the importance of looking after yourself.
His advice to the group was to ‘stay humble and work hard’ and he said the highlight of his career so far was winning the Premier League and watching his son Tyler make his professional debut (for Peterborough against Stevenage in 2024).
He also said Messi was the best player he had played against, pasta was his pre-match meal, and the best derby he had played in so far was Inter Milan versus AC Milan.
And in terms of the season ahead with ITFC, he said: “I’ve been welcomed with open arms and I’m looking forward to what is to come.”
One of the students who listened to the talk was Joshua Durrant, who is ona level three course with the college and the Foundation. Josh, 17, from Holbrook, said: “He (Ashley Young) was very articulate. Experiences (like this) get us ready for real life.”
Ollie Head, 16, from Colchester, is on a level two sports course. Ollie said: “He (Ashley Young) gave good advice – it was motivational.”
Lee Mandley is the director of service industries at Suffolk New College. Lee said: “This partnership (between Suffolk New College and Ipswich Town Foundation brought two pillars of the community together. Experiences like today are not the norm (for students). It’s been inspirational.”
Robert Peace is the head of education and employability at Ipswich Town Foundation. Robert said, “Ashley gave insights into what it’s like to be a professional footballer. He added: “The relationship between the college and the Foundation is hugely important.”