Wolves Foundation ambassador and junior Wimbledon champion Henry Searle put his sporting skills to the test and inspired a group of young students from the city when attending a session at the charity’s Arena at Aldersley.
Searle, who was born and brought up in Wolverhampton, attended a Premier League Inspires activation where he joined in various skill-related activities focused on football and tennis with students from Our Lady & St Chad Catholic Academy and the Royal School.
The event also saw Searle return to the Aldersley Arena where he used to train during a spell with Wolves Academy prior to prioritising tennis, where he is now forging a hugely promising career.
Searle also took part in a Q&A session with students, championing the values of hard work and resilience, the importance of making sacrifices and the support of family and friends in helping him pursue his sporting dream.
“It was a fun afternoon taking part in some activities with a bit of tennis integration,” he said.
“It was nice to hopefully have an impact and try and inspire the students and motivate them to follow their dreams.
“Being able to give back as a Foundation ambassador is the least I can do.
“It’s always good for young people to have access to sporting activities and hopefully pick up some inspiration to do something that they love.”
Searle, who attended St Peter’s Collegiate Academy, grew up playing tennis at the Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis & Squash Club, situated next to Wolves’ Compton Park training ground.
He burst onto the national stage with his sensational triumph at Wimbledon in 2023, becoming the first young Brit to lift the Boys’ Singles title since Stanley Matthews – son of the legendary footballer - 61 years previously.
He has since moved into the senior ranks and set about proving himself at the higher level, and is currently ranked at 386 in the ATP Tour rankings for men’s singles.
Searle became an ambassador of Wolves Foundation earlier this summer, joining a team including former Wolves captains Karl Henry and Anna Price, current Wolves Women’s captain Anna Morphet, broadcasters and media personalities Suzi Perry, Mark Rhodes, Amber Sandhu, Johnny Phillips and Jacqui Oatley, music performer/producer S-X and home chef influencer Mitch Lane.
“Coming back to Aldersley is quite cool because I used to play football for the Academy for a few years and would come here regularly in the evenings for training sessions,” he added.
“Wolverhampton is home for me and it’s always amazing to come back.
“I always try and make the most of the time when I am here and see family and friends as much as possible – it’s always nice to be home.”
Premier League Inspires is a personal development programme supported by the Premier League and Professional Footballers’ Association, mainly delivered in secondary schools, with hundreds of students involved in Wolverhampton and the surrounding areas.
It uses the power of football and sport to inspire 11 to 18 year-olds to develop the personal skills and positive attitudes to reach their full potential, which is where hearing some of Searle’s story will have such a substantial impact for the young people.
