More than 500 children were treated to a surprise feast of footballing showmanship in Bristol from a man who has traded tricks with Brazilian star Ronaldinho.
Colin Nell, one of Europe’s best “football freestylers” (a master of juggling a football), was invited to be the surprise guest of Downend football club at their end of season prize-giving and the launch of their Africa project last Saturday.
Rival clubs can expect to face an array of stepovers and flicks after Nell gave small groups their own private coaching after performing a polished routine of tricks.
Club President Mark Ellery revealed the thinking behind bringing Nell, who has starred in a number of TV commercials alongside the likes of Ronaldinho.
He said: “Downend Saints is a relatively new club. However, we have grown significantly since 2002 and are able to offer lots of opportunities for kids from 6 to 16. We look to make the training and the football fun as well as constructive and develop kids whatever their level when they join the club.
“Our coaches are all FA accredited and the club itself has just achieved FA Charter Status. As part of our development plans we always look to improve the coaching, the opportunities for kids and all aspects of the club.”
“We are delighted to welcome one of Europe’s best football freestylers in Colin Nell. We knew he would delight and entertain the kids and parents and hopefully he has also inspired a few players as well.”
The club, which has 220 registered members, has spent the past fortnight collecting football kit in tandem with a couple of schools in the area, Emersons Green Primary and St Augustines in Downend.
All those who attended Saturday’s event were asked to dig out old shirts and unwanted football equipment which could be given a new home in Gambia thanks to new links with the Bristol Aztec Rotary Club and the Gambia Avon Fire Service in Partnership (GAFSIP).
Since 1992 GAFSIP have supplied fire and rescue equipment and fostered links with the Gambian Fire Service. This has been extended to include other equipment such as furniture for schools, educational equipment and football shirts.
The club smashed their target of 100 shirts with 178 shirts, 20 training bibs and 28 pairs of shorts being donated. Patchway FC donated a team’s worth of kit and England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 accounted for a large number of national shirts being handed over.
Simon Russell, a coach at the club, said: “Once we learned of the work being done via GAFSIP in Gambia we were anxious to do what we could to help. We hope to have a great number of shirts and other equipment to donate.”
“We want to track where the equipment is donated and establish contact with the recipients – how that relationship might develop we do not know, but we know that, through GAFSIP, local schools and other organizations now have links with schools and other organizations in Gambia.”
For more information on GAFSIP go to: http://www.gafsip.org/. Anyone with kit to donate should email Simon on simon@swns.com.
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