Wayne Rooney’s mum Jeanette, 56, has kept up her role as a dinner lady at De La Salle Academy in Liverpool right throughout her son’s playing career – but she may lose her job
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Derby County are in administration – video with voiceover
Wayne Rooney’s mum could lose her job as a dinner lady at the school which he attended as a boy.
The England legend told of his fears for the future as he spoke about the financial crisis faced by his current club Derby County.
He acknowledged that the players were worried about keeping their jobs as Derby was placed in administration with a 12-point deduction.
Wayne’s mum Jeanette, 56, has kept up her role as a dinner lady at De La Salle Academy in Liverpool right throughout her son’s playing career.
And Wayne, 35, said on Thursday: “My mum is in exactly the same position.
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Image:
Daily Mirror)
“She is still working as a dinner lady at the school where I went as a kid and there are discussions about whether the school is going to close down.
“My mum does not know if she is going to have a job at the end of it.
“I know how life is and I know how there are people who struggle to pay the mortgage.
“I know because I have gone through that as a child. I know people who have gone through that on a daily basis.”
But he assured fans that he was “committed” to the football club.
He added: “I grew up on a council estate in Liverpool and I know how tough life can be. I care about the players and the staff.
“What kind of person would I be if I walked away and put my feet up or went on holiday for a few weeks?”
He vowed to be ‘open and honest’ with his players, whatever the future holds.
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In a 2015 BBC documentary, Jeanette said: “I had three jobs to give my family everything we could. I was a cleaner, I worked on a sweet van and I was a dinner lady. I still work as a dinner lady now.”
Wayne said of his past growing up in Croxteth: “This is Crocky, Croxteth where I am from. I love the area and it has helped me become the person I am.
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Image:
PA)
“You can live in a big house and drive a nice car but I am from here and it is in me. Regardless of what you achieve in life this is always going to be the place where I grew up and where I learnt a lot about life.” He told how he met his future wife Coleen while playing on its streets as a teenager.
De La Salle Academy has been part of the community for nearly a century. But it faces the prospect of being closed down by the government.
The school, which also counts actor David Morrissey among its former pupils, has been issued with a termination warning notice after two consecutive inadequate Ofsted inspections. It has now submitted its response to the Regional Schools Commissioner, setting out why it has a future.
Local councillor Anthony Lavelle, acting chair of Governors at the academy, said earlier this year: “We need certainty for the students whose education is at risk, staff whose jobs are at risk and the community who risk losing an integral and valuable part of the local area.”
The school was approached for a comment.
