The ten and eleven-year-old children, from six primary schools, took part in a mini Euro 2004 festival at the King George V Sports Complex, Knowsley, marking The FA’s official launch of its School to Club Link programme, part of the national £539 million PESSCL (Physical Education and School Sport Club Link) project.

The project aims to give all children aged 5 – 16 the chance to participate in and enjoy physical activity, in line with The FA’s commitment to provide ‘Opportunities For All’.

The festival at Knowsley highlights how football in education can be linked to community-based charter standard clubs such as St Annes FC, giving schoolchildren the chance to play football in a fun, safe environment organised by qualified coaches.

England ‘keeper Chris Kirkland commented: “The FA has explained how the school-club link project aims to provide schools with resources to introduce children to football in a fun way that will also develop their skills.

"When I was younger, I learnt a lot from coaches at this age, so whether you want to play for England, or just want to have fun and play with your school friends, this is a project that I’m only too happy to support.”

The event began at 9.15am with a ‘Euro 2004-style’ opening ceremony, including dance and warm-up activities. The children then took part in practical football sessions including dribbling, heading, penalty-taking, keep-ups, passing, positioning and five-a-side games.

Liverpool County FA Development Officer Chris Smith said: “The project aims to provide schools with resources to introduce children to football in a fun way, that will also develop their skills. Ultimately, the project aims to link schools to FA kitemarked local clubs, where children can further their involvement in the game.”

Football clubs or schools that take part in the PESSCL Project will receive a 3 Lions FC kit bag containing practical equipment, coaching cards and promotional material. They can also access a festival pack to run a football festival.

Children taking part in the Knowsley festival have all been using The FA’s education resource pack, ‘England: Ready For Euro 2004’, launched by England Head Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

The packs are available free of charge to all primary schools via local education authorities. Alternatively, packs can be downloaded by clicking here.