Southampton are joining forces with Virgin Media to launch the Virgin Media Football Academy, a series of lesson plans, training videos and a special live lesson designed with experts from our proud Academy to help teachers and pupils bounce back into physical education after months of school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Saints players including club captain James Ward-Prowse and fellow England international Theo Walcott – both Staplewood graduates – as well as manager Ralph Hasenhüttl and Saints coaches, will lead live drills to get schoolchildren active.

Working in collaboration with the National Schools Partnership (NSP), Virgin Media has provided hundreds of schools across the UK with pre-prepared football-focused lesson plans and video tutorials to keep schoolchildren active and reduce teachers’ workload following the reopening of schools in March.