The Sun’s grassroots footie grants are amazing…keep it up, says Harry Redknapp as he joins young talent for session

HARRY REDKNAPP joined a coaching session for budding talent at a grassroots club – and hailed The Sun Footie For All campaign as “amazing” for helping to keep kids on the pitch.

The 77-year-old former Premier League manager visited Milford-on-Sea Youth Football Club in Hants, one of the organisations who have been handed a £1,000 grant under the scheme.

And this week is the final chance to get YOUR bid in for one of our grants before applications close for round two of the fund’s payouts.

We teamed up with Tesco’s Stronger Starts Campaign — which funds healthy foods and activities for children — to support kids’ football clubs after shocking figures showed 94 per cent of grassroots teams were struggling in the face of soaring costs.

Clubs across the country also told us how some kids are being forced to drop out as families couldn’t pay for memberships, kit or transport.

Harry said at pitchside: “I love seeing them enjoying themselves, and they make friends at this age that they will probably be friends with for the rest of their lives.

“We can’t all be professionals but you can all go out and enjoy playing, and that’s what they do.

“They’re so enthusiastic. I love being with the kids and watching them play.

Running costs

“The adults who volunteer to coach, referee and everything else are extra special because they give the kids so much.

“They give up their time every week and deserve all the praise in the world.

“This grant from The Sun and Tesco is so important and an amazing thing to do.”

We have already handed out 150 grants and have another £150,000 of funding to dish out before applications shut at midnight on April 30.

So today we urge YOU to apply for one of our handouts.

From starting new teams and providing free places for kids of low-income families, to replacing old and out-of-date equipment, the cash can change lives.

It can be used in any way which encourages kids to take up the sport or aids access to the game.

Perhaps you are with a local team who want to offer parents help with membership fees.

I used to spend every Saturday and Sunday on pitches like this

Harry Redknapp

Maybe you need new kit or more pitch space to play on. Grants can also be used to help with transport or general running costs.

Harry and his wife Sandra are no strangers to grassroots clubs, having spent many weekends watching their kids Mark, now 54, and Jamie, 50, play as they grew up.

And they won’t be short of grandchildren to watch having a kickabout either, with eight so far.

Harry made a career out of managing some of the UK’s top teams including Tottenham, Bournemouth, West Ham, Portsmouth, Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City.

His tenure at Tottenham saw them make it into the Uefa Champions League.

Being back at an evening training session and helping out with drills for the under-15s and under-11s left Harry feeling nostalgic for his days of coaching youngsters.

He recalled: “I used to spend every Saturday and Sunday on pitches like this.

“I loved it, watching my kids enjoy just playing the game. It was fantastic.”

Getting involved

Within minutes of arriving at the club, Harry couldn’t help getting involved with the young players.

Keen to show off their skills, they quickly formed a circle and did the one and two-touch drills they were asked for.

They passed the ball around the circle while one in the middle tried to intercept it.

If they got it, the player who had failed to make the pass took their place in the centre.

While a few struggled to get to grips with minimal contact on the ball, Harry knew he had the right story to get them on board.

He said: “Luka Modric, if you’ve heard of him, he used to play for Real Madrid, never went into the middle for this drill in four years.

“I coached him at Tottenham, and he was incredible at just being bang, bang, bang with the ball.

“He never once gave the ball away in a game, and this drill helped him hone that skill.

Knowing where the ball is going to go before it arrives is what makes professionals so great, so hone this skill if you can. It’s just practice

Harry Redknapp

“The players used to do this for 20 minutes before I even started the session.

“Knowing where the ball is going to go before it arrives is what makes professionals so great, so hone this skill if you can. It’s just practice.”

Harry didn’t spare his praise, declaring: “Good touch,” and “Nice pass,” and reminding the boys to be “On your toes”.

As he moved on to help out with the under-11s, he told The Sun: “It’s an absolute pleasure to meet kids like this. They play because they love the game.”

For the younger ones, he set up a cross passing drill and happily stepped into the middle to show what he wanted.

Once things were up and running, he selected Vinnie, 11, to take over transferring the ball.

‘Getting good’

Like the older boys, Harry kept reminding the kids to be on their toes before declaring: “I like it, you’re getting good.”

He rounded off the session with: “That is excellent, lads, you are good,” leaving the boys grinning from ear to ear.

The football legend also made sure to spend some time with the seven- and eight-year-olds and asked about their favourite clubs and players.

We have to say a massive thank you to The Sun for awarding us this funding

Club secretary AJ Aitken

Milford-on-Sea have used their £1,000 grant from The Sun and Tesco for balls, ball launchers for goal scoring drills, bibs, cones and more for all their teams.

Under-15s coach and club secretary AJ Aitken said: “We have to say a massive thank you to The Sun for awarding us this funding.

“It’s wonderful that something like this is available to teams across the country, as having a kid doing sport can cost a fortune.

“Allowing us to buy all the equipment we need means we can keep fees low for families, meaning parents don’t worry, and the kids can just focus on being part of a team.

“It also elevates it from a kickabout in a muddy field to something with structure. For the lads, having Harry come to visit has been brilliant.

“They’ll remember it for ever, and I know they’ll be telling all their pals at school about training with him.”

Kids can play with the club from the age of seven to 16, and it caters for both girls and boys.

Dad Michael Gunner, whose son Jack, 11, plays for the under-11s, is thrilled that there is such a great club on their doorstep.

He said: “I loved playing football, and it’s a bit like reliving my youth, seeing Jack do it too.

“I’ve still got friends from playing when I was his age, and it’s great that The Sun is making sure clubs like this survive.

“It runs on volunteers, but things still have to be paid for, and the grant from The Sun allows that.”

The team has existed for around 25 years and has grown from 15 boys having a kickabout to 152 girls and boys across their teams.

It was initially started by several mums who wanted to give their sons something to do other than play games.

It’s a mentality that Harry agrees with.

He said: “Grassroots is so important because it gets them out of the house and their faces out of technology.

“They get to be healthy and active. They won’t all be great players, but it’s not about that. It’s about having fun and loving the game.”

For Charlie Bond, 15, the club has instilled a love of football he didn’t previously have.

He said: “I joined because my friends played and the three years that I’ve been here have made me love it.

“I love the sport and the team. Getting to train with Harry was a bit stressful as none of us wanted to mess up, but we know he’ll have made us better.

“Even just five minutes with him will have improved us. He’s given us tips and motivation to be better.

“Everyone’s dream is to play professionally, but for now I love playing here.”

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk