Football day setfor The Venue

This Thursday, The Venue at Ebrington will be transformed into a football Mecca giving young and old the chance to be part of something special.

As part of the European wide celebration of Grassroots football the city of Derry/Londonderry will play host to ‘UEFA Grassroots Day’ from 10am until 9pm.

Organised by the Irish Football Association Lee Carroll, Head of Grassroots Football, Irish FA, said: “We are extremely excited about this event considering nothing on this scale has taken place in this country before.

“We have a range of activities to cater for all ages and abilities and would encourage all those with an interest in football to come along and take part in what will be a truly memorable day.”

Local schools, clubs and community groups will get the chance to play on this pitch throughout the day, however the main draw will be the ‘Maiden City Cup’ which will see Derry City and Institute Legends teams take on local media and Councillors in what should be highly entertaining stuff.

An ‘Education Zone’ will also give locals the opportunity to listen to some top class speakers such as Northern Ireland International Team Manager Michael O’Neil and Jim Lawlor who is Manchester United Chief International Scout. Access to all these workshops are free of charge.

The ‘Skills Zone’ will give people the opportunity to practice and test themselves in series of skills stations.

All the way from Holland the new craze of ‘Pana’ football will give local youngsters the opportunity to learn and compete in 1v1 and 2v2 fast paced challenges.

Red Bull World Champion Freestyle runner-up Daniel Dennelly and local hot shot Stefan Connolly are putting on exhibitions and interactive workshops. There will also be a ‘Health & Well Being’ zone.