England footballer in BFF Daring visit

9th May 2014

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England footballer Adam Lallana paid a visit to HMS Daring in Portsmouth as part of a morale-boosting event organised by The British Forces Foundation.

The Southampton winger toured the Type 45 destroyer and chatted with members of her 200-strong crew to hear about their work.

He was told about the ship’s recent nine-month deployment, during which she was diverted to provide humanitarian aid in the Philippines after a devastating typhoon.

Adam said: ‘This was my first time on board a warship and I was very impressed. It was good to meet the sailors on board and learn about their lifestyle.

‘It seems tough when they are away at sea but there was great camaraderie on board and I have a lot of respect for what they do.’

As well as chatting to the Ship's Company, Adam also signed memorabilia for some of those on board during the visit which The BFF organised in conjunction with the England Footballers Foundation.

Petty Officer Ryan Squance, 24, said: ‘On behalf of the Ship’s Company I would like to say thank you very much for the visit. The lads and lasses absolutely loved it and we all hope that he can return again in the future to see Daring at its best. Everyone was commenting on how friendly Adam was and they could all tell that he was really intrigued about the lifestyle of the Armed Forces in general. We all hope he heads to the World Cup and does the country proud.

"It is not every day we get England footballers on a UK warship so this one will stick in the memory for some time."