TL;DR
- Joshua Travis, a 14-year-old former goalkeeper for Nottingham Forest Academy, died after being struck by a train in Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire.
- His family described him as full of life, leaving an irreplaceable gap in their lives; tributes have been made by local football organisations.
- The British Transport Police report the incident is not being treated as suspicious, and Aspire Football Coaching has postponed all games in his honour.
The family of a 14-year-old hit by a train say they will ‘miss him forever’ | UK News
The family of a talented footballer who died after being struck by a train say he had ‘so much love to give’.
The British Transport Police (BTP) said officers responded to reports of a casualty on the tracks in Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire, just after 7pm on Wednesday.
In a statement on Saturday, BTP said Joshua Travis, 14, died at the scene.
His family said in a statement: “Josh was a lad with an incredibly (sic) energy for life, an infectious and mischievous smile, kind sparkling eyes, and so much love to give.
“He leaves a gap in our lives that is and will always be impossible to fill, and we will miss him forever.”
Nottingham Forest Academy also paid tribute to the 14-year-old on social media, saying: “Everyone at Nottingham Forest is deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of our former academy goalkeeper Josh Travis.
“Our thoughts are with Josh’s family and friends at this extremely difficult time.”
Aspire Football Coaching said on Facebook that it will postpone all of its games after the death of Travis – their under-15s goalkeeper.
“Josh was a fantastic goalkeeper and a great character in the group,” the coaching school added. “Everybody that came across Josh described him as a pleasure to have around with his polite and funny nature.
“Josh made a real impact in his age group, both as a footballer but more importantly as a person and will be sorely missed at the club.”
The BTP said in a statement that the incident is not being treated as suspicious.
Sky News has contacted the Rail Accident Investigation Branch for comment.