The partnership has seen the Foundation invest in football at grassroots level, providing coaching and opportunities for many of the 6,500 young players and volunteers involved within the league each week.

A group of over fifty boys aged 9-10, who are involved in the league as goalkeepers within their respective clubs, took part in a two hour session aimed at improving their goalkeeping skills. The budding keepers took part in various drills including handling, shot stopping, distribution and 1v1’s, which were delivered by Foundation coaches.

Eleven-year-old Finlay, a goalkeeper for Sale Communities thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and said, “I’ve enjoyed it today and can use what I’ve learnt in the games that we play.”

Nine-year-old Henry, of the Altrincham Panthers, added, “I liked the 1v1 session; I found it very fun as you had to dribble past the keeper or come out and stop the ball if you were the keeper.”

General Secretary of the league, Brian Fletcher, praised the partnership with the Foundation and was thrilled that the young keepers were able to develop essential goalkeeping skills to take back to their clubs, “It’s been absolutely great that we’ve been able to organise this, thanks to the Foundation for again linking up with the Timperley Junior League and also to Sale Communities for hosting it. It’s lovely to see fifty plus young goalkeepers here, they don’t always get the opportunity to practice their skills.”

Foundation Coach, Ciaran Donnelly, was involved in delivering the sessions and explained why the workshop was needed, “We felt that goalkeeping is an area that can be neglected in grassroots football and we wanted the keepers from the league to have the chance to experience sessions that were specific to them.”

He added, “This day was important not only to give them the fundamentals of their position but to meet other goalkeepers of the same age from different teams and feel part of Timperley & District’s young goalkeeping union.”