Saddlers forward Jamille Matt rolled back the years, as he visited students at his old secondary school in Walsall.
The striker, who attended Blue Coat Church of England Academy, returned to his old stomping ground to see some of the work Walsall FC Foundation are doing with young people.
The Foundation are delivering two projects at Blue Coat, with staff working with a number of 11-18-year-olds throughout the week.
The school’s Sports Academy is supported by Walsall FC Foundation coaches, giving sixth form students the opportunity to train and play, alongside their current Post 16 studies.
The students enjoy two sessions and a game each week, as well as being able to enjoy unique experiences, such as training at Walsall FC and wearing the Walsall FC Foundation branded kit.
Matt joined some of the students at their gym session, to speak about his experiences and see the project in action.
He said: “It has been a blast from the past. It’s nice to come back to somewhere that was a massive part of my life in secondary school and set me up for my career and the path that I’m on today.
“The programmes are something I would be jealous of! When I was here there wasn’t anything like this – you can see the lads are enjoying their football and the gym.
“It’s really good to see the work the Foundation are doing, and to have the club involved here at Blue Coat.”
Walsall FC Foundation’s Sport Manager, Marc Wilkes, oversees the charity’s involvement at Blue Coat, as well as leading on the Foundation’s flagship Post 16 Football & Education Academy based at the Poundland Bescot Stadium.
“We were delighted to get Jamma here to meet some of the students. It’s rare to have someone from your school grow up to become a professional player for the local team, so he is a real inspiration to both the young people and teachers.”
“The Post 16 Sports Academy is really thriving at Blue Coat. Our initial plans were to get the project up and running to showcase the opportunities to current Year 10 and 11 students at the school.
“However, due to the success of the Sports Academy so far, we’ve been able to enter the AoC (Association of Colleges) league ahead of schedule for next season. This will give students the excitement of competitive fixtures with other schools and colleges on a regular basis.”
The Foundation also work with Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils at the school through the ‘Assist 2 Achieve’ initiative – supporting, mentoring and inspiring children at critical stages of their education.
The programme, supported by Trivela Foundation, focuses on students facing the greatest challenges, aiming to improve behaviour, engagement, and academic outcomes.
Jamille Matt presented a signed Walsall FC shirt, donated by club sponsors NoFo Brew Co, to Year 8student Mason during his visit.
Mason stood out as the outstanding member of the latest cohort, after transforming his behaviour and attitude around school.
Alex Harvey, Engagement Officer at Walsall FC Foundation, said: “Assist 2 Achieve has grown massively since the initial pilot in 2023, and we now have five educational providers engaged in the programme.”
“The children at Blue Coat take part in intervention sessions based around functional skills that we have identified to improve their conduct and engagement around school.”
“Mason has shown a real interest in Walsall FC since starting Assist 2 Achieve and has really stood out to us for his hard work and attitude, so have Jamma here to surprise him with a signed shirt was fantastic.
“We’d also like to thank Trivela and NoFo Brew Co for their backing of the initiative in Walsall schools, and for donating the shirt for Mason. He was a bit shocked and we know it will give him a boost!”
Blue Coat Church of England Academy’s Principal, Dave Smith, has been full of praise for the partnership with Walsall FC Foundation.
He said: “Through work over the summer last year we managed to agree a programme where both the Sports Academy coaching and the Assist 2 Achieve would be delivered in school, which proved to be very successful.
“With Jamille coming in, it has been inspirational for the children to identify with somebody who has attended here in the past.
“The connections between the school and Walsall FC are strong, so for somebody who literally played on the playground here to come in as a successful professional footballer is something that’s amazing for the children.
“It has created a real buzz around the school, with the motivation and excitement to see that somebody has gone onto achieve great things.”
