News

LEEDS UNITED FC AND NORTHERN HELP YOUNG PEOPLE GET THEIR KICKS ON THE PITCH

2nd May 2006

Northern has teamed up with Leeds United FC (LUFC) to help young people learn new skills on the football pitch. And Leeds United stars Joel Griffiths and Jermaine Beckford joined pupils from Cross Gates Primary School to get
things off to a flying start.

Over 1000 pupils, aged between 7 and 11, from four schools in Leeds will take part in an eight-week Football in the Community programme sponsored by Northern. Coaches from LUFC will provide weekly in-school coaching
sessions focussing on the basic skills of the game.

At the end of the training programme they will get the opportunity to show off their newly acquired skills when they go head to head with schools from the Darlington area in the Northern Rail Football Festival, which will be held on 23
June at the LUFC Thorpe Arch training ground.

Malcolm Brown, Area Director East, Northern said: "One of the biggest safety issues facing our industry today is trespass on the railways. The group of people most at risk, and indeed the most regular offenders, are youngsters
who often see the railway as an exciting playground.

"We work closely with our industry partners, local councils and the community to educate young people about the dangers of the railway. But it is not just all talk. The real challenge is to continually find new and innovative ways of keeping then away from danger by helping them to discover activities they can enjoy safely.

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"The partnership with Football in the community helps us to do just that and targets key areas of our network where trespass, vandalism and anti-social behaviour are of particular concern."

Mick Ferguson, director of Football in the Community at Leeds United, said; "We are delighted to lend our support to these training courses. Sadly, we know only too well how children can be attracted to railways and, in some cases, with disastrous results. Anything that can help keep the interest of children away from railways and at the same time provide them with such an exciting alternative has to be worth supporting. Football is a universally popular sport and hopefully these courses will be very successful."