Loftus-Cheek: Let the nerves flow and just play

For many young people, playing football at a Premier League stadium is something they dream of.

That dream will become reality for children from 40 schools from across England and Wales this month as they compete in the Premier League Schools Tournament at Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea, on 23 May.

Chelsea players Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Beth England made the draw for this year’s tournament and know what the children will be experiencing when they are about to walk out on to the pitch.

"I can relate to the feeling of when we played in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge against Wolfsburg," says England, an attacking player for Chelsea Ladies. "The feeling of standing in that tunnel and walking out in front of the crowd is an unreal experience and I don't think it is anything you can ever forget. 

See: Excitement after Chelsea duo complete draw

"I didn't have anything like this when I was young but starting them young and getting them to know what that experience is like is going to be really good for them.

"They should embrace it, take every opportunity they can."

Loftus-Cheek, who was 19 when he made his Premier League debut in January 2015, had some advice for the schoolchildren.

"It's a moment they will never forget," he said. "The first time I played at a big stadium, I still remember it now. It was at West Brom and it was wicked!

"In the tunnel, you get butterflies but it's normal. It's what happens when you do something for the first time.

"Once I stepped on the pitch, that all went and you are just in the zone, playing football.

"You have got to let the nerves flow, let it go and just play. Having fun playing football with your friends in a stadium, what's not to enjoy?"