a-league,

IT TAKES a special reason for a Liverpool fan to be seen in another English Premier League club's colours. But in this case, the family of Woonona seven-year-old Cael Harrower, who hangs a poster of Reds' legend Steven Gerrard on the wall, is prepared to make an exception. The youngster and 19 Illawarra Football Academy training mates are among 400 children from Australia heading to the Gold Coast next month, for the third annual West Ham United Oceania camp. Under the tutelage of IFA director Mark Tyssen, the group were chosen to attend after being identified by some of the West Ham Academy coaches. "It's a great opportunity," Tyssen said. “We’ve been doing this for a couple of years and it provides them with a chance to work with some really top coaches to develop their technique and skill. “Cael was recently awarded an IFA player of the term award last month, for his outstanding skills improvement, his great positive attitude and a great passion for the game.” Cael’s mum Amanda admits it’s taken some adjusting to see the youngster preparing to be part of the West Ham Academy camp. “He gets a Liverpool kit every Christmas, he already knows You’ll Never Walk Alone,” she said, his support for Liverpool inspired by his father Andrew, who coaches his junior Woonona Sharks team. “We’ve been to the Liverpool legends game and the Sydney FC game, he just loves watching them whenever he can. “Cael’s a sponge, he just takes in everything about football, it’s amazing to be able to take him to this camp.” Southern Branch player Gabriel Lombard, Kiama junior Cooper Schofield, IFA’s Mitch Despotovski and Albion Park’s Jesse Blackmore and Jackson Nolan are just some of the players now heading up to the West Ham camp. The camp is for ages 7-18, run by the Hammers’ senior technical director Paul Heffer, with a handful invited to the club’s academy in London for a two-week international training camp.

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