Soccer ace Ian Wright to coach YOI football team

He will be attempting to turn around the lives of inmates at the Portland Young Offender Institution in the Sky series.

Wright – who turned to television presenting after his playing days with Crystal Palace, Arsenal and England – has been at the jail shooting the series in which he holds trials to pick inmates for a prison football team.

It is believed he will pick a squad of 20 or 30 players who will be placed in a wing on the prison and receive specialist coaching.

The former star striker will then mentor a team for a match as part of their rehabilitation process, with the programme expected to hit the small screen in the autumn.

Sky TV has joined forces with the Prison Service for the groundbreaking series. New facilities are being put in place including an artificial pitch and a climbing wall to help the inmates get fit.

A Sky spokesman said: “The documentary will focus on prisoner rehabilitation and addressing re offending issues through sport.”

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice added that the documentary was still in the initial stages and ‘hasn’t been entirely finalised’.

Drinkers at Portland’s Clifton Hotel received a shock when Mr Wright took a break from filming to drop in.

Landlady Sarah Gordon said: “He just came in without warning and asked for a bottle of Corona. It’s created quite a lot of excitement.”

Word of Wright’s surprise appearance quickly spread and the pub filled with people keen to meet the star.

Arsenal fan Liam Naylor, 21, who lives at Underhill, raced round to the pub as soon as he heard of the star’s visit and relished the chance to meet one of his idols.

He said: “He’s a hero of mine – the man’s a legend.”

“I heard he was here and rushed round straight away.

“I’m very surprised to see him here.”

Brian Moore, 34, got to Mr Wright and asked him to sign his autograph on his shirt. He said: “I’m mad on football and I admired him when he was playing.

“He was one of the very best to play for England.”