Steven Gerrard is set to submit a proposal to the new owners of Liverpool’s former training ground at Melwood, to take over as part of his own youth football academy.
It has been six years since Gerrard left Liverpool as a player, and almost three years since the end of his stint as a youth coach at Kirkby.
Now a title-winning manager with Rangers, he has been tipped as an eventual candidate for the Anfield dugout, though Gerrard himself has distanced himself from speculation.
Beyond his coaching career, the 40-year-old is part of the Steven Gerrard Academy, which was founded in 2011, with sites in Liverpool, Tenerife, Alicante, London and more.
“Steven Gerrard Academy provides a high-quality experience for 16 to 19 year-olds who are interested in pursuing further education and a career in football, such as coaching or other professions within the sports industry,” reads their mission statement.
This could take another big step in the near future, with the Times reporting that Gerrard will submit a proposal to Torus to lease or even buy outright part of the existing facility at Melwood as a new base for his academy.
While it is not the “emotional return” the headline suggests, it is a heartwarming move from the No. 8 as he bids to maintain Melwood as a hub for football on Merseyside.
In November, upon the first team’s move to the new site at Kirkby, Torus announced plans to redevelop Melwood and build around 200 new homes, addressing a shortage of affordable housing in the West Derby area.
But their outline retained the main building, including the boardroom, changing rooms and gym, to allow for community and charity projects, which the Steven Gerrard Academy would fall under.
Ian Rush has been appointed ambassador of the Steven Gerrard Academy, with their aim to make their full-time programmes available nationwide by 2025.
“Melwood will always be a special place to Liverpool, especially for me, given I spent so many years there,” Gerrard told Liverpool’s official website last year.
“I grew up 20 minutes from Melwood and every day that I entered, I knew it was a privilege and an honour to be there.”
He added: “The emphasis on detail, attention to the small margins and the focus on every aspect of the training facility made it, for me, one of the world’s best training facilities for any sport.
“It will live long in my memory, as I am sure it will for countless teammates and staff members.”
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