A GROUP of schoolchildren got a taste of life as a Premier League player this week when they spent the day touring the Amex.

The lucky pupils also had the opportunity to meet two of the club’s players and study the mental side of the game.

The children from Lewes Old Grammar School met players Aileen Whelan and Léa Le Garrec from Albion Women and fired questions at them about their careers, their path to playing for the club and the struggles and sacrifices they had endured to get where they are today.

They also enjoyed workshops on sporting success and learned how the best players cope mentally with the pressure of playing with such great expectations on their shoulders.

The tour was rounded off with a stint in the press box where the children took on the role of being interviewed by the media with great gusto.

LOGS sports teacher Lloyd Stubbs said: “The whole day was incredibly useful for the children, all of whom are sportsmen and women, because it went beyond normal training and delved into the mental side of the game.

“It was really good for them to imagine the players’ emotions and got them thinking about how they could manage their own emotions in sport and also in life.”

“Aileen Whelan and Léa Le Garrec spoke really well of the struggles they faced as young female players.

“They gave answers that helped the pupils understand the joys of being a professional footballer but also the sacrifices they had to endure to make it, including the setbacks of not being in the team or having to work two jobs as they weren’t receiving money for playing.

“Of course, the stadium tour was fascinating, and the pupils loved visiting the press box and seeing the directors’ box, home changing rooms and the warm-up area before walking out of the tunnel to Sussex by the Sea.”