For ex-Watford footballer Craig Manderson, finishing a day at school meant rushing to the park in Ealing to play his beloved sport.

But sadly a lot of kids now, the 20-year-old said, are spending their evenings glued to their smart phones or games consoles.

Hence why Brent -born Manderson, who represented the Hornets from age 14 to 16, quit a career in playing football to embark on a career coaching instead.

The ex-Claremont High School pupil founded HotshotsLDN , a football school now held every Saturday at the Alec Reid Academy, Northolt , in a bid to get kids aged four to 12 off their phones and onto the pitch.

Craig Manderson at HotshotsLDN

Manderson, who lives in Northolt, said: "I think with the uprising of social media and smart phones the first thing kids want to do is go on their phone play on their Xbox and sports are being pushed to one side.

"When I was young it was really going to the park to play football and it is not really like that anymore.

"I have always wanted to give something back to the community and help others, and I just thought football was not long-term and coaching would be."

Manderson first joined Wembley F.C at the age of eight before moving to Ealing when he was 12.

He then represented England at the Danone Nations Cup Cup, a youth tournament, only a year later.

At 14, he was snapped up by Watford F.C but was discouraged by his lack of playing time and decided to leave at 16 to join Woking F.C.

But after two years at the club, and at 18-years-old, he was put off by football's short-term playing prospects and decided to start a career in football coaching because of the life skills football had taught him.

He got in touch with the Prince's Trust, a charity helping young people, following advice from ex-coach Abdi Farrah to set up HotshotsLDN which first began at the Rectory Park, Ealing, in August 2015.

But after the weather saw participation fall, the football school will begin its first session at the indoor facility at Alec Reid Academy on Saturday (January 9).

The move into coaching, he said, has been thrilling to watch because he has witnessed shy youngsters grow in confidence and said passing on life skills gives him a satisfaction he never got on the field.

He added: "I like seeing the children learn and apply what I am teaching and watching them grow as individuals.

"I had a five-year-old who was really nervous, holding on to his dad and didn't want to go but now he is really outspoken and has made a lot of new friends.

"Kids are really impressionable and there is a lot life skills you can learn from football, leadership, confidence, team work, these are things you learn from football.

"I would say I lacked some of these skills before football but I have learnt leadership skills and listening to other people."