Skippy joins holiday football programme at his former school

Young midfielder Oliver Skipp took a trip down memory lane yesterday (Wednesday 30 October) when he visited one of the Club’s half-term Player Development Programmes at his old school, Richard Hale, in Hertford.

During the session, Oliver gave advice and tips to local young players hoping to follow his path of becoming a professional footballer. This involved demonstrating his skills to the youngsters and participating in technical sessions, followed by a Q&A on his personal journey as a player.

Oliver also met his former coaches Tony Tilbrook of the Tottenham Hotspur Academy and Richard Hale’s Head of Football, Kevin Patterson, to talk about their memories of the midfielder as a young student progressing through the Spurs youth system into the first team.

Part of the Club’s Global Football Development Programme, Richard Hale is a new player development centre for young players aged 5-12 years old. The opening of the facility in September, 2019, marked the beginning of a long-term partnership between Tottenham Hotspur and the school to create opportunities and pathways for students of the school, local players and coaches to reach the elite level. With state-of-the-art facilities and coaching methods derived directly from the Spurs Academy, Richard Hale provides an elite sporting environment for nurturing local talent.

Academy product Oliver, who was born and raised in Hertfordshire, said: “The coaching I’ve received so far has taught me about more than just technique – it has helped me develop the work ethic and determination you need to succeed as a player.

“It’s great to see that my former school is playing a part in giving the next crop of local talent the opportunity to learn new skills, build confidence and hopefully reach their goal of becoming a pro.”

Tony Tilbrook, who coached Skippy as a young player, said: “Having Oliver here has been so exciting for the young players. With facilities like Richard Hale, we want to help even more young players and coaches to reach their full potential.”

Throughout the half-term period, Tottenham Hotspur has been running Holiday Player Development Programmes in London, Hertfordshire and Essex. Through individual monitoring and elite level coaching, the programmes enable youngsters to play the game while developing their skills with flair, fluidity and an attacking mindset.