The event, which was delivered in partnership with Worcester City Council, saw 26 nations, 12 whistling representatives from Ghana, 9 players spelling Cameroon (including a mascot) and 1 Greek player called 'Domestos' - all coming together to enjoy the beautiful game.
Matt Jones, Football Development Officer said ‘the FREE event is organised annually as a celebration of the FA’s Charter Standard Accreditation and this year was themed around the World Cup as part of the England Football Day Campaign’.
Matt went on to say ‘the ethos of the FA’s Charter Standard is encompassed when you see the level of effort that various teams put into representing their designated country, which demonstrates the level of creativity that young people have. This creativity was also demonstrated on the field of play and is something that WE should encourage further, by allowing the players to think for themselves from time to time’.
Many people contributed to the organising of the event, with the real leg work being carried out on the day by a team of WFA Young Leaders.
The event through the eyes of a young leader…
…when asked, Nick Pritchard (WFA Young Leader) said ‘The day ran superbly. A great setting and great weather conditions set the day up nicely. From just walking around the giant FA RESPECT ball, you could see that the standard and quality of football being played was incredible. Goals were being banged in left, right and centre, accompanied with the great goalkeeping displays, which made the beautiful game exciting and fun to watch. The behaviour and conduct of the players was outstanding and their respect for each other set a great example to onlookers - maybe the professionals could take a leaf out of their book.’
When Nick was asked what was different about this festival he said ‘The day was topped off with the creativity competition. The world cup theme made it different to any other festival and I’m sure it was a memorable day for both players and parents. This wasn’t just a festival; it was a Worcestershire Charter Standard Festival’.
Thanks go to all the players that participated in the festival as well as club volunteers & parents who attended the event. Thank you also to DE Photo who were responsible for the official photography on the day (www.DEphoto.co.uk).
Finally, special thanks goes to Jon, Andy and Wayne from Worcester City Council Sports Development Team who were instrumental in contributing to the success of the event.
GET INTO FOOTBALL
Player, coach, referee or administrator - find your way into the beautiful game – click the ‘Get into Football' link or contact a member of the WFA Development Team.