A FOOTBALL-crazy teenager had a ball on his work experience placement – at his beloved Manchester City.

Matthew Dove spent a week at the Etihad stadium as part of a special placement organised to give young people an idea of working life.

The 21-year-old City fan, of St Helens Road, was selected from thousands of applicants and spent his time helping out with the club's community engagements.

He said the week working at the club had been a massive highlight for him. He said: "If I had to sum up the placement in three words I would probably say it was educating, enjoyably and inspiring.

"The work experience has definitely been an eye-opener in terms of seeing the endless opportunities there are out there if you are willing to put the hard work in.

"For example a lot of the people I met at Man City started as volunteers. Getting feedback about my own articles from someone in a professional capacity will hopefully help me and my career in the future. I’d like to thank Barclays for giving me the opportunity."

The work experience was organised as part of a project called LifeSkills created with the help of Barclays.

Back in December 2015, LifeSkills announced that it was giving young people the chance to apply for a range of work experience placements at 15 Barclays Premier League clubs as well as at entertainment organisations and venues including The O2 in London, Shazam and the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham.

Kirstie Mackey, Head of LifeSkills, said: “LifeSkills is about inspiring young people and giving them the skills they need to take control of their own ambitions, and we were delighted to offer Matthew such an opportunity at Manchester City FC.”

A host of Barclays Premier League clubs signed up to the initiative including Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Southampton and Leicester City. They are offering opportunities to participants across marketing, coaching, administration, retail, hospitality and catering.

To find out more about LifeSkills visit www.barclayslifeskills.com