Alicia Meuronen, Emeka Onyike, Ebony Freeman, Orlando Kameya, Archee Banks, Lochlan Kennedy, Jessica James, Declan Woolnough, Teshone Singh and Jordan Wright - who are part of the UOW Tottenham Hotspur Global Program - on Tuesday headed to the UK for a special six-day footballing opportunity.

The 10 participants will train and work closely with Tottenham Academy coaches in London, and will also get the chance to visit Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where they will meet current and former EPL players.

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For Meuronen, the trip offers an opportunity to continue broadening her football knowledge.

After moving to Wollongong to study a Bachelor of Sport, Meuronen started playing for NSW Women's NPL club the Illawarra Stingrays. Meuronen, who has since secured a part-time job with the Global Football Program team at UOW, looks forward to gaining invaluable experience in the UK.

"I am excited to visit the academy in London and train under the coaches and take in as much as I can," Meuronen said.

"I am passionate about football and when I got to know about the Global Football Program, which is a first-in-kind opportunity in Australia, was a big driver for me to move to Wollongong and take my football skills to the next level.

"I have seen an improvement in my game in the last few years, and the program has helped me play one-on-one more confidently."

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Meuronen was joined on the flight to London by Emeka Onyike, who was born and raised in the English town of Gosport, before moving to Australia as a 13-year-old.

Onyike moved to Wollongong to study IT at UOW and also enrolled in the UOW Tottenham Hotspur Global Football Program in a bid to further improve his game.

"I came to Australia as a teenager who was still trying to figure things out mentally. Through this program, I got emotional growth and maturity that also helped me improve my game. The coaches also helped me understand how to unlock my potential to focus on the game and become successful," Onyike said.

"Through the training, I learnt a lot about time management and keeping myself motivated, working hard and setting good habits to achieve the best outcomes."

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The partnership between UOW and EPL giants Tottenham was established in 2019 and was the first of its kind in Australia, providing participants with an opportunity to develop their football skills while also pursuing their studies.

Former Hotspur captain and club ambassador Ledley King, who was in Wollongong to promote the program three years ago, said at the time that it was a "really exciting" initiative.

"I've been beneficial of coming through the youth system and I know the coaches that we have in place, they can hopefully really make a difference for the footballers of Australia," King said.

"It's exciting to be able to come out here and see the standard of young, talented footballers, and work with them and hopefully give them a pathway through to success. We believe in the method we have at Tottenham that allows young players to really develop a high level."

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