The England team welcomed more than 100 children, young people and local residents to their Urca training base in Rio de Janeiro for their first session in Brazil on Monday.
Joining the team on the pitch were children from a local Sport Relief funded project, Bola Pra Frente, who previously met manager Roy Hodgson, coach Gary Neville and a group of players ahead of the Brazil v England friendly in June 2013.
The FA also made a donation to the project, which will help to fund the construction of a new community and training centre.
Hodgson chats to his squad during training on Monday
Bola Pra Frente uses sport – in particular football – to engage and educate young people from some of Rio’s most disadvantaged communities.
To coincide with Monday’s visit, Sport Relief is thrilled to announce that this year’s campaign has reached a record breaking £70m so far, and the money is still coming in. The cash raised will be spent helping people living incredibly tough lives in the UK and across the world.
Also present were the winning girls’ team from the Street Child World Cup, a group of young athletes from the Special Olympics, children from a local school and from a Premier Skills project. In addition, a selection of guests from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, dignitaries and people from the local community watched on as the team began its final phase of preparations.
Hodgson said: "Having last year witnessed first-hand the incredible impact sport, and in particular football, has on the lives of so many people in Rio’s local communities, we were delighted to be able to welcome so many children and inspiring individuals to our training session today.
"Throughout our stay in Brazil we will look to engage with the communities we visit and develop a deeper understanding of this wonderful country.
Children of Rio welcome England to Urca
"Our hope is to provide inspiration for those we meet in order that they continue to develop their lives in a positive way."
Club England Managing Director Adrian Bevington said: "It was wonderful to welcome so many familiar faces from the Bola Pra Frente project to the team’s Urca base today, as well as host so many other inspirational people at the team’s first training session in Rio.
"All representatives of The Football Association are keen to ensure they gain an understanding and appreciation of Brazil whilst we are lucky enough to be here.
"Whilst we aim to be successful on the pitch, we also want to make an impact off the pitch and help to raise the profile of a number of important causes."
Comic Relief Chief Executive Kevin Cahill added: "We cannot thank the British public enough for once again helping us raise such an incredible amount of money for Sport Relief.
"Their compassion and generosity never fails to amaze me. It’s fantastic to see Roy Hodgson and the team today seeing just how the donations will make a real difference to the lives of young people in Rio. The money will also be used to help poor and vulnerable people across the world and right here in the UK."
The Bola Pra Frente project is based in Guadalupe, in northern Rio de Janeiro. Many children in disadvantaged communities grow up surrounded by poverty, crime and violence and the project aims to help them to break this cycle and build a better future for themselves by using football to improve academic performance.
