342 – Frome youngster leads England players out at Wembley international

Zak Rose, aged 8 from Frome, had the experience of a lifetime as a McDonald’s Player Escort, when he walked out at Wembley Stadium before England faced Sweden in an international friendly after successfully qualifying for Euro 2012 on Tuesday 15th November.

It was a great day out for Zak, who won the player escort place after entering a national competition, organised by Community Partner of the FA, McDonald’s. Zak walked out with England’s Phil Jones, before taking to the stands to watch the game with his family.
England rounded off a great week by winning 1-0 thanks to an own goal from Sweden’s central defender Daniel Majstorovic, after securing the same result in their earlier friendly against current 2010 FIFA World Cup champions, Spain.
McDonald’s and The FA have been partners since 2002 and are committed to helping young footballers shine by supporting 400,000 volunteers, 6,000 grassroots clubs and creating a total of 30,000 qualified coaches by 2014. The partnership will also work towards the objective of ensuring that 75% of all youth clubs are awarded FA Charter Standard status before the end of 2014, which will help to ensure clubs are safe, supportive and fun places for young people to enjoy playing football.
Sir Geoff Hurst, McDonald’s director of football said, “Walking out onto the pitch at a packed Wembley stadium is a fantastic experience and I’m sure Zak enjoyed every second. The England team are enjoying a good run of form at the moment and it was great to see this continue with another victory.”
For further information on the McDonald’s football programme and exclusive content and competitions, log onto www. thefa.com/yourgame.