Nurturing the next generation of football stars

This summer the world will be gripped by football fever. The 2010 World Cup in South Africa means adults and children alike will be glued to their screens. But it is also a great opportunity to tap into your young one’s passion for the sport and encourage them to get outside playing.

As a team sport, football is a sociable activity which helps to teach children the importance of fair play – as well as being great exercise, with only a ball and some free space needed to get children out and about. And to help this further a raft of open days are being held up and down the country to encourage the next generation of football stars, backed by some true footballing legends.

One such man is England’s hat-trick hero of 1966 and McDonalds Director of Football, Sir Geoff Hurst.

Hurst’s three strikes, which took place more than 30 years ago cemented his place in the sport’s hall of fame and no-one is better placed to encourage and inspire the next generation of young footballing talent. As McDonald’s Director of Football, Sir Geoff Hurst will be touring football clubs and down the country this summer to help raise the standards of the game at grassroots level...with a little help from Welsh legend Ian Rush and one of Scottish football’s greats, Kenny Dalglish.

It’s not only a chance for budding players to meet some true icons but also an opportunity for them to show off their skills, pick up a few new ones and learn first-hand from some of most celebrated players and coaches in the English game.

Sir Geoff Hurst, McDonald’s Director of Football, says: “We want to provide communities across the UK with free, football-focused fun days out for all the family to enjoy. Football is part of the fabric of our society, and no more so than in a World Cup year. It’s a great testament to McDonald’s Franchisees that they’re committed to making football accessible for whole communities, helping to raise the standards of grassroots football up and down the country, week in, week out and I’m looking forward to seeing some great grassroots football across the country this summer.”

As a community partner of the FA, McDonalds has been committed to raising the standard of grassroots football across the UK since 2002.

For more information on how you can get involved in the Football Open Days, taking place up and down the country this summer, visit: mcdonalds.co.uk/sports/football