Prince's Sporting day out

Prince William snapped up a chance to catch up on the fortunes of his favourite football team when he met up with Aston Villa star Ashley Young. The FA President spoke with the England forward while visiting Kingshurst Sporting FC in Birmingham.

After taking the time to chat with around 100 schoolchildren, many dressed in Sporting's red-and-white kit, William also met with The FA's Director of Football development Sir Trevor Brooking.

A keen Aston Villa supporter, the prince posed for a photograph with one of the 21 teams run by Sporting, which is taking part in an FA drive to improve standards of coaching.

Speaking to reporters after the 90-minute royal visit, Villa star Young confessed to being nervous when the prince first arrived.

Asked whether he or the prince had been more star struck as they toured pitches at the site, Young replied: "I think it was me - it's not every day you get to meet a prince.

"It was an honour to meet him - he's such a down-to-earth guy and the nerves soon went after the first conversation that we had."

Young also revealed that the prince had been keen to hear about happenings at Villa Park from an insider.

"He was saying how well the season had gone, he asked about the team spirit and he asked a few more questions about the club," Young said.

During his visit, the prince shared a joke with fans of Villa's arch rivals, Birmingham City, and also inquired about the welfare of nine-year-old Regan Hand, who was nursing a broken leg following a road accident.

Kingshurst takes part in The FA’s Charter Standard programme which is a best practice guide that sets standards of coaching and child protection for all clubs. Kingshurst has 270 children registered with it, playing in 21 teams.

The FA Charter Standard Clubs programme was launched in February 2001 and is a core component of The FA Football Development programme. The project is aimed at all clubs outside the Football League and Premier League so that players, children and parents can find a club in their local area that meets FA standards.

Club chairman Steve Shipway said: “It’s a fantastic honour, particularly to be selected by the FA – they obviously feel we’re doing it right. We just get people playing football and that’s all we want to do.”