Under-21s go back to school
Jamie Bradbury
Thursday, 08 October, 2009
Stuart Pearce and three players went out into the community in Coventry
Click on the player on the right to watch the video
As England’s Under-21s continued their preparation for Friday night's Euro 2011 Qualifier with Macedonia at the Ricoh Arena, Stuart Pearce’s team once again showed their comminuty spirit.
As with every get together, Coach Pearce headed out with three of his squad to get involved with the locals.
He was joined by Tom Cleverley, Andy Carroll and Jack Cork, who’s on loan at Coventry, and they arrived at the city's Radford Primary School to take part in a coaching session and present the school with the 2009 Good Sports Active School of the Year award.
The award, which is based on the amount of sporting activity that schools in the area undertake, was just one part of a special day for the children, with Pearce and the players also enjoying the fun football drills.
"We've been doing a little bit of training with them and it's all good," said striker Andy Carroll as he recalled his own school days.
"A few of the coaching in the community came round and we got stuck in. It was good and this reminds me of when I was younger."
He continued: "Some of them said in assembly they'll be going to the game, and the more the merrier. Hopefully they'll be there cheering us on."
And the children of Radford Primary School were clearly worthy winners of their award. Smiles were everywhere as they played on the field, something they like to do as much as possible
"They've won this fantastic visit from Stuart Pearce and his Under-21 footballers because they won the Premier League for our Coventry Sports scheme," explained John Doherty, Sports Partnership Manager for Coventry West.
"It's a great incentive because they can see that all the activity they do around school not only wins this award, but actually gives them a massive amount of enjoyment."
And Under-21s midfielder Tom Cleverley added: "We've been helping to take a session and it's nice seeing everyone so enthusiastic and it looks like they are all really enjoying it."
Tickets for the game are on sale through the Coventry City box office priced at £10 for adults and £5 for concessions. Call 0871 220 0260 or buy online at www.seetickets.com alternatively watch the match live on TheFA.com
You can also order you match programme online, click here for details
To stay up to date with the Under-21s thoughout their campaign, stay logged on to TheFA.com or become a Fan of Stuart Pearce's team on Facebook