Member Article

Little League Sports celebrates 5th anniversary with move to new headquarters

Growing multi sport and football coaching firm Little League Sports celebrated its fifth birthday by inviting everyone who had supported the venture to its brand new home at Woolton High School.

Directors Jordan Wright and Joe Mulhearn invited business advisers, former teachers, coaching colleagues, friends and family to mark the milestone and take a first look at LLS’ impressive new two-storey facility on Woolton Hill Road.

From this new headquarters LLS will coordinate the delivery of football skills sessions including the Liverpool FC Foundation Skills and Drills programme plus wider vocational training programmes for 16 – 19 year olds to more than 50 schools throughout Merseyside.

“Five years ago this company was just an idea that Joe and I had at university,” said Jordan. “We pooled our student loans and started coaching youngsters in how to play football.

“In our new building we have put on display a photo of our first session to show where we have come from and how far we have come.”

Since Joe and Jordan founded the firm, LLS has extended its reach to primary schools in Liverpool, Halton and the Wirral. As it expanded they established an accredited coach education programme to meet their need for more qualified coaches.

Operating in high school sixth forms, academies and colleges around the region, LLS’ vocational training programmes offer teenagers the chance to acquire NVQ and BTEC Level two and three qualifications in Sports Coaching and further National Governing Body awards through the FA.

Trainee coaches get work experience coaching youngsters on LLS events and can also be selected for the LFC Foundation Skills & Drills programme, supervised by a qualified team of senior coaches. More than 200 young coaches have qualified through LLS since it began.

Not everyone stays, as the qualifications they earn through Little League open up the opportunity for young coaches to utilise their newly learned transferable skills elsewhere. Many students have coached abroad, gone on to further education or gained employment in the sport industry.

“We realised that no-one was offering training like this,” said Joe. “The fact that primary schools are still coming to us to use our services and colleges have young students asking how they can get on our courses to become coaches shows there was a need for this.”

LLS currently provides employment for 18 full-time staff and plans to expand further across northern England. At Woolton High School the firm has office space, a boardroom and a separate boot room for coaches’ muddy kit.

Woolton High School Head teacher Mark Christian said having Little League on-site had benefits for everyone.

“We had a building which was not being fully utilised and coincidentally, Little League was looking to expand its operation,” he said. “Having already collaborated with Joe and Jordan on a number of their projects, I was delighted when they approached me with the request to move onto our site.

“The coaching they offer is not just about football, it’s about engagement. Little League Sports make a valuable contribution to the holistic development of each child that they work with. Pupils at Woolton High School, and also my own children, have benefited from the fantastic programmes that Little League Sports deliver.”

Little League Sports celebrates 5th anniversary with move to new headquarters

Growing multi sport and football coaching firm Little League Sports celebrated its fifth birthday by inviting everyone who had supported the venture to its brand new home at Woolton High School.

Directors Jordan Wright and Joe Mulhearn invited business advisers, former teachers, coaching colleagues, friends and family to mark the milestone and take a first look at LLS’ impressive new two-storey facility on Woolton Hill Road.

From this new headquarters LLS will coordinate the delivery of football skills sessions including the Liverpool FC Foundation Skills and Drills programme plus wider vocational training programmes for 16 – 19 year olds to more than 50 schools throughout Merseyside.

“Five years ago this company was just an idea that Joe and I had at university,” said Jordan. “We pooled our student loans and started coaching youngsters in how to play football.

“In our new building we have put on display a photo of our first session to show where we have come from and how far we have come.”

Since Joe and Jordan founded the firm, LLS has extended its reach to primary schools in Liverpool, Halton and the Wirral. As it expanded they established an accredited coach education programme to meet their need for more qualified coaches.

Operating in high school sixth forms, academies and colleges around the region, LLS’ vocational training programmes offer teenagers the chance to acquire NVQ and BTEC Level two and three qualifications in Sports Coaching and further National Governing Body awards through the FA.

Trainee coaches get work experience coaching youngsters on LLS events and can also be selected for the LFC Foundation Skills & Drills programme, supervised by a qualified team of senior coaches. More than 200 young coaches have qualified through LLS since it began.

Not everyone stays, as the qualifications they earn through Little League open up the opportunity for young coaches to utilise their newly learned transferable skills elsewhere. Many students have coached abroad, gone on to further education or gained employment in the sport industry.

“We realised that no-one was offering training like this,” said Joe. “The fact that primary schools are still coming to us to use our services and colleges have young students asking how they can get on our courses to become coaches shows there was a need for this.”

LLS currently provides employment for 18 full-time staff and plans to expand further across northern England. At Woolton High School the firm has office space, a boardroom and a separate boot room for coaches’ muddy kit.

Woolton High School Head teacher Mark Christian said having Little League on-site had benefits for everyone.

“We had a building which was not being fully utilised and coincidentally, Little League was looking to expand its operation,” he said. “Having already collaborated with Joe and Jordan on a number of their projects, I was delighted when they approached me with the request to move onto our site.

“The coaching they offer is not just about football, it’s about engagement. Little League Sports make a valuable contribution to the holistic development of each child that they work with. Pupils at Woolton High School, and also my own children, have benefited from the fantastic programmes that Little League Sports deliver.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Dan Minchin .