Youth female footballers from Bermuda got a chance to pay tribute to Diogo Jota, the late former Liverpool forward

Aged between 9 and 12, the girls, who concluded their six-day developmental tour of Britain on Thursday with Leo Burgess Football Academy, toured stadiums of some of the biggest Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City.

It was during their trip to Merseyside that they visited the site set up by Liverpool outside Anfield in honour of their departed star, who died in a road crash in Spain last month.

“We did go and pay our tribute to Diego Jota at his memorial area at the club,” said Leo Burgess, the founder and technical director of the academy.

Last Saturday, the 19 female footballers witnessed the Sky Bet League One encounter between Burton Albion and Port Vale, which ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

“They watched Burton Albion versus Port Vale and were flag bearers for this game,” Burgess said.

“They got the chance to walk the field at half-time to clap to the fans and be clapped back. They also had a chance to do the half-time show on the pitch, which was a penalty shoot-out against Burton Albion’s mascot.”

Visits to City and United facilities provided excitement for the young footballers. At Old Trafford, they toured the stadium, walked on the tunnel leading into “The Theatre of Dreams” and sat in the home team’s technical area.

When they went to the blue side of Manchester, they got to step on to the hallowed turf at the Etihad Stadium, sat on the team bench, entered the room where City manager Pep Guardiola conducts his weekly press conference and spent time in the changing room.

During the tour, they played four matches — against Chester City, Manchester City, Ella Toone’s Academy and Queens Park Rangers — before they returned home last week. While results did not go their way, Burgess noted some improvements in each match.

“They completely improved game by game, but weren't able to get a win,” he said.

“The level was way higher than what they’re used to in Bermuda, which provided a huge learning experience for them.”