FORMER Liverpool footballer Neil Mellor returned to his alma mater, St Bede’s College, as guest speaker at the sports reunion dinner.

Neil, who grew up in Altrincham, left the College 1998 to join the Liverpool FC football academy at the age of 16, after securing excellent GCSE results.

The 33-year-old, now a sports journalist, he described the transition he made from St. Bede’s College to Liverpool FC. He said the well-rounded education, both social and academic, he received made him very self-reliant.

Retiring from football at a relatively young age through injury Neil embraced his enforced career change and enrolled for a degree in media studies at university but this was shelved at the eleventh hour with an offer from Sky TV to pursue a career as a sports journalist.

Neil said: “What made the difference for me was my education and the atmosphere at St. Bede’s which helped me to become resilient and adaptable especially in life after football.”

He is the son of former Manchester City, Norwich City, Sheffield Wednesday and Brighton and Hove Albion player Ian Mellor.

The sports reunion dinner was held in the Academic Hall at St Bede' s College, Manchester, on September 24.

This is the first in a number of events the College has planned to mark the 140th anniversary of its foundation by Cardinal Vaughan in 1876.