THE grassroots club which kickstarted Dean Henderson’s journey to the Three Lions say ‘it is a dream come true’ to see him representing England in the Euros.
Whitehaven Miners have been credited as Henderson’s grassroots club on the official England website and the club has led messages of support to the star goalkeeper from Whitehaven ahead of the tournament.
The 27-year-old, who currently plays for Crystal Place, is one of 26 players in Gareth Southgate’s 2024 European Championship England squad.
Lee Coan, a coach at Whitehaven Miners FC, said: “Everybody at Whitehaven Miners are extremely proud of what Dean has achieved.
“For a lad from our club to be representing England in any capacity is a dream come true to us. We all would like to wish Dean and his team the best of luck in the Euros.
“To be there playing the best players in Europe and to be classed as one is an unbelievable achievement.
“All the kids will be watching and there is a lot of excitement in the club about a Miners lad being there.
“We are all so proud and hope the lads do the business. No matter what they do though, we will all be cheering them on, especially our own, Dean Henderson.
“Good luck marra, from us all at Whitehaven Miners.”
Henderson started playing for Whitehaven Miners as an outfield player and then went to Carlisle United’s centre of excellence, where he played two years above his age most weeks.
He joined the Manchester United Academy aged 14, after six years at Carlisle United.
In a grassroots story published on the official England website, Henderson recalls becoming ‘obsessed’ with football as a youngster, getting his mum and dad to throw balls for him on their cul-de-sac at home.
Henderson says he had a confidence about him from a young age and would get to train with Carlisle’s first-team goalies when he was 12.
He says that resilience ‘stood him in good stead’ for when he went out with his own age group and credits this resilience as being a big part of his development to where he is today.
Emma Jackson, headteacher at St Benedict’s Catholic High School in Whitehaven, which Henderson attended, said: “All of us at St Benedict’s would like to wish Dean and the rest of the England squad good luck. We are all immensely proud of Dean, and he is an inspiration to our students who all look up to him. Come on England!”
Nicola Stephenson, secretary for Bransty Rangers JFC, said: “Congratulations Dean on being selected for the squad heading to the Euros. This is a testament to your hard work, dedication, and incredible talent.
“Your journey has been nothing short of inspirational, and seeing you achieve this milestone is incredible. Here in Cumbria you’ve certainly been an inspiration to so many young footballers.”
Wayne Hunter, a coach at Mirehouse AFC, said: “It's excellent to see local lad, Dean Henderson, make the trip to the Euros. He has inspired so many kids from our local area and I’m sure he will definitely carry on doing so.
“Dean is a world-class goalkeeper and definitely makes the England squad stronger with him in it. He definitely has our support from Mirehouse AFC and I’m sure from all clubs in Cumbria.”
John Wilson, Cleator Moor Celtic youth secretary, said: “We at Cleator Moor Celtic football club would like to wish Dean Henderson and the rest of the England squad all the very best of luck in the upcoming Euros.
“Having a Whitehaven lad representing our country has inspired many of our aspiring young players and shows that dreams can come true with hard work and dedication.
“I am sure every player will be glued to the TV throughout the tournament cheering our boys on. Dean making it as a professional footballer, coming from a relatively small catchment area gives hope to all our young players.”
Held in Germany, Euro 2024 will officially begin on Friday, June 14, at the Allianz Arena, home of Bayern Munich. England’s first group stage match will be against Serbia on Sunday, June 16.
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