24 April 2007
VIDEO: FA Cup Schools Day 2007

Three time FA Cup winner Tony Adams visited Northgate Primary School to promote the first FA Cup Schools Day.

It seemed appropriate that Tuesday's inaugural FA Cup Schools Day, run by sponsors E.ON, was graced by one of the competition's legends - Tony Adams.

The former Arsenal captain led the Gunners to Cup glory in 1993, 1998 and 2002 and was only too happy to sprinkle some Cup magic when he visited Northgate Primary School in Nottingham to help promote the special day, where more than 300,000 children took part around the country.

"The kids have been fantastic," said Adams. "I've loved every minute of it. The school I went to was fantastic. It reminded me a lot of my school in Dagenham - Hunters Hall."

It might be more than 30 years since the Portsmouth Assistant Manager went to primary school, but he certainly dived in with enthusiasm.

Arriving during school assembly carrying The FA Cup, Adams presented the school with a charter standard award before fielding a number of questions from the star-struck pupils - coincidentally decked out in Arsenal red - which ranged from whether he knew Thierry Henry to the injuries he sustained during his lengthy career.

From there, Adams went upstairs to sit with a year five and six class, taught by Laura Duke, where he helped three young boys answer questions about The FA Cup. There was time for another question and answer session, where Adams named Dennis Bergkamp and David Seaman as the two best players he has played with. He added that Zinedine Zidane and Marco Van Basten were his toughest opponents.

Adams went on to add that the best defensive display he was involved in was during Arsenal's successful run to the 1994 Cup Winners Cup, before giving special mention to the Gunners' last gasp league championship win at Anfield five years earlier.

Adams then took part in football training, run by Carl Cragg who volunteers his time to the school. Adams then went to nearby Southglade Leisure Centre to watch a series of small-sided games, sign autographs and try to 'Shoot the O'.

"I think I did everything," said Adams. "I answered some questions about the tournament, most of them weren't born when I won the first one [FA Cup]. I tried to educate them around The FA Cup. There were a lot of Arsenal kids which was great. I did a little in the classroom with them and a little bit in the sports hall, a little bit of passing. It was all great stuff.

"It's so important to get the kids playing at that level. Playground football is very important to the development of kids in this country. They were learning a little bit in the classroom about The FA Cup - that was great.

"Football is very magical, The FA Cup is very magical," he said. "Football is very powerful. Development in schools is paramount to the future of this country, to get a national team we are all going to be proud of. This is where it all starts. E.ON, the new sponsors, are investing for four years - they want to take some part in the development of the game."

Stay with TheFA.com for an exclusive video with Tony Adams, where he reveals his Cup memories and prediction for The FA Cup Final.