Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has spoken of his pride at opening an academy for promising sportsmen.

Carragher opened the Jamie Carragher Sports and Learning Academy last year which is aimed at launching careers of youngsters in sports and the venture has proven to be a success during the initial stages.

With £25,000 set to be invested in improving the facilities, the academy is going from strength to strength and now Carragher has expressed his pride at how quickly his project has developed in such a short span of time.

"The youngsters who have come in here have really taken to it," Carragher told the Liverpool Echo. "The first 12 months have gone well and it looks like we'll have an even bigger intake in September.

"We've got experienced coaches passing on their knowledge. The fact that four or five of the lads have already gone on to gain employment shows that it's been successful.

"The soccer schools and the academy go hand in hand really. If you do well at the academy and prove yourself here then you can go on and travel the world with the soccer schools. There are great opportunities for young people here.

"We're just about to invest another £25,000 in improving the facilities further and hopefully that will entice more people to come and get involved. The hope is that every year the intake will grow. Success will be about coaches moving on and gaining employment - that's what it all boils down to. At this moment we've got kids already doing that."