The new football season’s curtain raiser, The FA Community Shield, also marks McDonald’s first anniversary as The FA’s Community Partner.

 

This year’s FA Community Shield marks the first milestone in McDonald’s ambition to create 10,000 community coaches through its partnerships with all four of the home nation’s football associations. 

 

The company’s coaching ambition is being spearheaded by McDonald’s Director of Football, Sir Geoff Hurst, its National Football Coach Eric Harrison, who has been a major influence in the careers of the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, and its Head of Scottish Football Kenny Dalglish.

 

This year 2,000 new coaches have qualified through McDonald’s coaching schemes with thousands of local youngsters already receiving extra hours of quality football coaching.

 

McDonald’s and The FA are jointly recruiting and funding participants on the 1^st 4Sport Level 1 FA Coaching Certificate.  On completion of the course, candidates are placed in their local communities to work with clubs, teams, youth groups and special needs programmes. 

 

Interesting McDonald’s Coaching Facts

 

• The scheme in Wales will provide 75,000 extra hours of free football coaching for youngsters
• 60,000 primary school children will benefit from the scheme in Scotland
• 85% of secondary schools will benefit from the scheme in Northern Ireland
• So far over 1800 coaches have been recruited in England, including 700 McDonald’s employees
• 1200 of these are now qualified and actively coaching youngsters with equipment provided by McDonald’s in communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
• By 2006, there will be 50% more specially trained disability football coaches
• 7,500 balls have been donated to schools across the UK
• more than 100 clubs in England have received their ‘charter standard’ kite mark