The Irish FA Foundation and McDonald’s are off to the beach this weekend to deliver Fun Football sessions.
Each year McDonald’s Fun Football Centres, delivered in partnership with the Irish FA Foundation, are staged across Northern Ireland with the aim of providing children aged five to 11 with the opportunity to try football for the first time.
Already this year Fun Football sessions have been held from Belfast to Ballymoney, from Enniskillen to Newry and from Coleraine to Dungannon.
And now Fun Football is heading for the beach – to Portstewart Strand.
On both Saturday and Sunday (3 and 4 August) there will be a free Fun Football Festival on the famous Co Londonderry beach owned by the National Trust.
The free sessions (in front of Harry’s Shack restaurant) will run each day from 11am to 4.30pm and there will be free on-site parking available on both days for all, including non-National Trust members. And parents can register their kids on arrival.
The sessions include introductory activities perfect for kids who are new to the game, helping them to develop their all-round skills, and all participants receive a Fun Football Activity Book.
Some special guests will be popping along to the Saturday session on the beach between noon and 2pm.
Northern Ireland senior women’s international Demi Vance will be there along with recently retired senior men’s international Stuart Dallas. And radio presenter Pete Snodden, who acts as MC at Northern Ireland senior men’s home games, will be visiting the festival, too. All three are McDonald’s Fun Football ambassadors.
Stuart Dallas said: “A career in football starts at grassroots level. That’s how I started myself, so it’s brilliant to see what an amazing impact McDonald’s and the Irish FA are having on communities across Northern Ireland through the Fun Football programme.
“The inclusivity of the programme is also brilliant to see. All boys and girls are welcome, no matter their background or ability.”
Also this weekend, on Friday (2 August), another McDonald’s Fun Football Festival is being staged at Donard Park in Newcastle.
The event in the Co Down seaside town will run from 11am to 4.30pm. Again it’s free entry and parents can register their kids on arrival.
A special guest will be there, too. McDonald’s Fun Football ambassador Pat Jennings is set to be at the event in Newcastle between noon and 2pm.
Fun Football sessions are designed and delivered in a safe, fun and pressure-free environment by Irish FA accredited coaches.
Run in partnership with the Irish FA, Scottish FA, Football Association of Wales and a network of football coaching providers in England, the McDonald’s programme was relaunched post Covid in May 2022 with the aim of providing over one million kids aged five to 11 in the UK with the opportunity to enjoy free football coaching over a four-year period.
McDonald’s and its partners are on course to deliver more than 10.5 million hours of Fun Football over those four years, making it the largest grassroots participation programme in the UK.
Image: McDonald’s Fun Football ambassador Stuart Dallas will be making an appearance at a Fun Football Festival in Portstewart this weekend.
