England Under-21s captain Jordan Henderson wants to get more adults back into football, and says this week's free 'Just Play' sessions are the perfect opportunity.

As the Liverpool midfielder prepared for the Three Lions' Euro 2013 play-off double-header with Serbia this week, he visited Croxteth Sports Centre to take part in an FA Mars Just Play session with players from the local college.

And Henderson says that not only is it a great way to get involved in playing, but it's also a perfect chance to socialise and enjoy the team spirit that is a massive part of the game.

"It doesn't matter where you are and what dressing room you are in, whether it’s the Premier League or in the park on a Sunday morning, there’s always a lot of banter between the players," said Henderson, who linked up with Stuart Pearce's squad on Monday ahead of Friday's first leg in Norwich.

"Obviously when you get to a higher level it gets more serious, but the camaraderie among the players is one of the best bits, so it’s good to get involved.

"It’s good to just get out and enjoy playing football. It’s a great way to socialise and get involved in play without being too serious.

"You can get a really good buzz from playing football and the banter is always flying about."

The 22-year-old grew up in Sunderland and enjoyed many impromtu kickabouts with his friends before signing for his hometown club.

Nowadays, though, he can't play casual football but that doesn't stop him from getting into the spirit when he returns to the north-east.

"A lot of my mates back home get together and have a kickabout, and they also play Sunday League. Whenever I go home I tend to watch them.

"But obviously I have to be a bit careful about getting involved myself. It’s something I did a lot of when I was younger, I used to love going for a kickabout."

He added: "Just Play is a great scheme to get adults back into football, have a kickabout and enjoy playing again. I'd encourage anyone to get involved."

Over 120 'Just Play' centres will open their doors to adult footballers of all ages and abilities this week. More than 150 free sessions will take place around England during the ‘Just Play Free for One Week’ initiative.

The FA and Mars launched the 'Just Play' programme in June last year as they attempted to arrest the decline in adult football by providing facilities, organisers and an online tool that allows players to take part in casual football at a time that suits them.

'Just Play' has also helped contribute to a wider growth in adult football participation, with 178,000 more adults playing football since 2008. This surpasses the initial target of 150,000 more players by September 2013.