Above: Steve Pantelidis from the Melbourne Victory with grade five student Brayden Cripps.
By Callan Date
MELBOURNE Victory soccer players were at Berwick Lodge Primary School on Monday to launch the Telstra Football Anytime program.
Victory players Danny Allsopp and Steve Pantelidis were on hand to demonstrate their skills and talk to students about their experiences as professional soccer players in the national A-League competition.
The recent success of the Australian national soccer team has created a buzz around the sport and the Football Federation of Australia is keen to ride the wave of publicity that will surround soccer as the World Cup approaches in June.
The introductory program is designed for six- to 12-year-olds and will be delivered in community hubs and schools throughout Australia.
Local sessions will take place at Berwick Lodge Primary School and are in an environment where children are able to enjoy the game and learn the basic rules while fitness is promoted for primary school-aged children.
The program costs $66 for six sessions and participants receive a kit that includes a soccer ball, equipment bag, goal markers and a drink bottle.
The Football Anytime program will also conduct sessions in Hampton Park, Cranbourne and Pakenham to give all children in the south east a taste of the world game.
The sessions at the Berwick Lodge Primary School start at 4pm on 4 May and will continue every Thursday for six weeks. Registrations and further information can be obtained from www.footballaustralia.com.au/footballanytime
