The Premier League and its clubs place as much importance on the development of their Academy players off the pitch as they do on it.
Nowhere was this philosophy more evident than when Liverpool’s Academy visited Poland last month to take part in the Premier League and Bundesliga Academy 2016 tour.
The Reds' Under-14 and Under-15 sides were joined in Krakow by Hertha Berlin, MSK Zilina and Wilsa Krakow for the tournament, which focused on educating the young players, as well as competing on the pitch and mixing with their counterparts from different cultures and backgrounds.
The Liverpool youngsters visited the factory of Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist who is credited with saving the lives of more than 1,000 Jews during the Holocaust.
They also went to the Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camp, where they laid flowers and lit candles.
"We wanted to combine a football tournament around a historical event which would educationally be good for the players," said Liverpool FC Head of Education and Welfare Phil Roscoe.
"The visit has been a fantastic trip for the boys and really educational. It is important that the players learn about the Holocaust and the wider historical context of World War Two as it is a key period in history."
Martyn Heather, Head of Education and Welfare at the Premier League, added: "We want our players of the future to be good role models and socially responsible citizens and these types of trips and tournaments can help develop the young players towards that."
For more on the trip watch the video above.
