Freddie Woodman has admitted moving to Newcastle United at 14 was a “crazy” time in his life. Alan Pardew’s appointment in December 2010 saw Woodman’s dad, Andy, reunite with his former teammate as goalkeeping coach.
Woodman Snr previously worked under Pardew at West Ham United and Charlton Athletic. When Crystal Palace came calling in 2014, the pair returned south but Woodman Jr remained at the Magpies’ academy.
The promising goalkeeper would go on to lift the under-20 World Cup with England but struggled to break into the first team. An injury crisis presented an opportunity at the start of last season but a mistake against Manchester United proved the final straw.
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A move seemed inevitable and Preston North End rescued the 25-year-old after a disappointing loan spell at Bournemouth. Speaking to the club’s media channel, Woodman relived his decision to move away.
“I managed to get a lot of interest in me. I got in the England set-up and then my move to Newcastle happened at 14. It was a bit of a crazy one really but something my dad struck in me early was ‘if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it properly’, and that’s what I’ve always tried to do.”
The goalie also discussed how his dad’s career meant he was brought up around football from a young age - and was even allowed to bunk off school! Woodman added: “Funnily enough, if my dad took me and my sister to school, he would drop my sister off and I'd end up going into training with him.
“I’d just be around the training ground, sitting with the kit man from such a young age – I'm talking like nursery/reception age. My mum didn't find out until a couple of years ago when I said it in an interview but yeah, I knew it was a good day as long as my dad was taking us to school.
“I used to just love being around the training ground, just being around footballers, and the environment is just totally different from anything else really.”
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