The Prince of Wales, the biggest football fan in the Royal Family, helped mark ten years of St. George’s Park as the home of English football.
Prince William met with representatives of various leagues within the Football Association and watched training sessions for the men’s senior deaf team, the men’s Powerchair development squad, young players from community clubs, and members of the team playing in the Street Child World Cup.
William spoke with the young people gathered at St. George’s Park, and one young girl told reporters afterwards that she thought he would be strict, where he’s a member of the Royal Family. Nesia Joao told reporters that William was a “really talkative, fun and nice guy. My dad will be really proud.”
She also told reporters that the Prince, a noted Aston Villa fan who noticed they were wearing Villa kits, said, “He wouldn’t want us to let him down. We promised not to.”
The Prince of Wales told the kids, “It’s not just playing football, is it? It is everything that comes with it.”
William also spoke with England manager Gareth Southgate ahead of the men’s national team heading to Doha, Qatar, for the World Cup next month. The pair are understood to have talked about strategy and plans for the World Cup before Southgate thanked the Prince for his dedication to football and offered his condolences on the death of William’s grandmother.
St. George’s Park has been home to England football since 2012 and hosts over 80 team camps each year with its pitches and gyms for strengthening and conditioning athletes.
Kensington Palace shared photos of William’s engagement on social media, captioning the photos: “Supporting our 🏴teams at all levels, being a huge part of history-making moments like the @lionesses and helping inspire the next generation!
“Hopefully with much more success to come 🤞”
Prince William has been President of the Football Association since 2006, one of his earliest patronages and one that he has been heavily involved with throughout his royal career.
