London, Mar.7 (ANI): The England Premier League hopes to eradicate the 'spoilt rich kid' image of England's top footballers through its search for stars of the future.
After the recent antics of John Terry and Ashley Cole, England boss Fabio Capello has blamed multi-million pound salaries for leading players astray.
The Premier League is endorsing The Players' Programme, the brainchild of ex-Manchester United trainee Simon Andrews, to offer guidance to up-and-coming footballers, reports The News of The World.
The scheme aims to educate teenage talent on the dangers not only for those who do make the grade, but those who don't.
Andrews, 39, who also played for Wigan, said: "There's been criticism of the top players with people saying they should be role models. First they need to be taught how to become role models. Some players can go from earning 150 pound a week to 150,000 pound a week in just a matter of years. That isn't easy to deal with."
"We want to educate players on their lifestyle choices, dealing with the media and finances. It's about preparing them for what lies ahead if they are successful, but also offering advice for those who don't make it," he added.
Manchester United first endorsed the scheme, with Sir Alex Ferguson and chief executive David Gill pioneering it at their Academy.
The PFA and the Sporting Chance Charity are involved too with other high- profile supporters including David Platt and Lee Sharpe. (ANI)
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