England captain John Terry has told BBC News School Report how he wants to inspire young footballers.

"It's important that you guys look at me on the pitch and see what kind of passion I play with," said the Chelsea defender, after being quizzed by School Reporters from St Albans School at a news conference.

"I think that can come across to you guys and players at grass roots."

Terry will lead his country out at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday for their Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales.

The 30-year-old centre-back was recently reappointed England skipper by manager Fabio Capello just over a year after losing the armband following reports he had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of then international team-mate Wayne Bridge.

However, Terry revealed on Tuesday how determined he is to be a role model for the next generation of players looking to emulate their heroes on the pitch.

Terry said: "If we can produce players for years to come showing that passion, belief and hunger to succeed then we can have a good chance."

The School Reporters wait for the press conference to start

England are currently second in the qualifying group G behind Montenegro with a game in hand. Wales are bottom of the group.

Reporters Callum, Harry and Osi had a fantastic opportunity to find out for themselves what it's like being a journalist following the England football squad.

First up, the boys joined the journalists, photographers and TV reporters to watch the players go through their paces at Arsenal's training complex.

They were only able to watch the first 15 minutes, as England boss Fabio Capello wanted to work in private on tactics ahead of their match against Wales at the weekend.

The Football Association also gave our reporters the unique opportunity to attend the main press conference at a swish Hertfordshire hotel and the opportunity to speak with one of the players was a big one.

It was the chance to quiz England captain Terry and was the first time the Chelsea star had spoken about leading the team since being reappointed.

The 14-year-olds also quizzed a number of journalists about their jobs, including the BBC's Dan Roan, BBC Radio 5 live's Ian Dennis and Sky Sports' Nick Collins, and got tips on what type of questions to ask. The School Reporters discussed what they should ask Terry and new squad member Matt Jarvis of Wolves if they had the chance.

The atmosphere in the press conference was electric, the cameras whirled into life, the photographers snapped and then the spotlight shone firmly on the England skipper.

The School Reporters held their nerve and popped this testing question: "You are an inspiration as a player. But what kind of role model do think you are for boys of my age?"

Terry thanked them for the initial compliment, before explaining what attributes he felt he had as a role model.

The question went down well with the other journalists with the reporters being praised for their courage to ask such a high-profile player such a strong question that was live on TV.

You can see and hear Callum, Osi and Harry's full feature from the England camp on BBC School Report Newsday on Thursday 24 March.

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