Children at a Frome primary school are taking part in five weeks of football training with former professional footballer, thanks to a generous donation from a local football team.
Year 4 pupils at Vallis First School have been receiving training from ex-professional player and FA coach Martin Phillips, who played for teams including Manchester City, Portsmouth and Plymouth Argyle.
The sessions were made possible by a £500 donation from Comeback United, a team of local dads and grandads aged over 50 who play weekly at Frome Leisure Centre.
Several Comeback United players have links with the school and contacted executive headteacher Georgina Muxworthy to see how they could support football at Vallis.
After presenting the donation, several players joined the children for a fun ‘beat the goalie’ session.
Executive headteacher Georgina Muxworthy said, “Our Year 4 children relished the opportunity to train with Martin and also to meet Comeback United. When they came to present the money, we were able to hold a penalty shoot-out session, and the children enjoyed interacting with these positive role models — chatting about their favourite teams and hearing how older players develop skills around fairness and resilience.
“We are a very football-centric school and believe it is a fantastic vehicle for pupils’ personal development. We are so pleased that Comeback United are now part of the Vallis community.”
Comeback United organiser Kevin Ross said, “Comeback United was formed three years ago to offer older men the opportunity to make new friends while returning to their love of football. Due to the popularity of the group, the collection of subscriptions has exceeded the weekly cost of the pitch at the leisure centre.
“We decided we would like to put some of our surplus funds to good use in the community. The group were enthused by the idea of Vallis’ concept of using football as a means of imparting skills for life, under the tutelage and role-modelling of a former professional footballer. We all thought this was an appropriate and exciting way to make a positive and lasting contribution.”
The school plans to use the remaining funds to purchase footballs and goals.
Pictured at top: Martin Phillips with the children at Vallis First School.
