Our ‘Footy Teams On Tour’ experience is back, as two local junior football club’s were our guests last week for an evening of both fun and valuable learning at the Riverside Stadium.
Kader Athletic U9’s and Stokesley FC U10’s are the latest North Riding FA affiliated clubs to take a tour of the stadium’s facilities (including the home and away dressing rooms, media suite, interview rooms, and dugouts), as well as receiving an exclusive presentation by Middlesbrough FC Academy Assistant Manager Peter Hood, on how young players such as themselves can make it professionally in the game.
Peter shared some of his fantastic stories about Boro’s hottest young talents over the past two decades, including Jonathan Woodgate, Ben Gibson and Stewart Downing, and the qualities they both possessed and worked on to become local heroes on Teesside.
Joining Peter was some of the potential new stars of the MFC academy, including U23’s Enes Mahmutovic and Amadou Sylla, as well as U18’s Ste Walker and Tyrone O’Neill, who answered questions and posed for photos with the teams.
“I think it’s a great idea as one thing that should come across from our football club is that we are about the community, the town and its surrounding areas,” said Peter.
“We are also about the youngsters we’ve had in here, that historically comes from the talent that we’ve got; the Ben Gibson’s and the Stewart Downing’s, the local talent that have come through.
“That’s a passion that has echoed from the Chairman and our academy’s statement about giving the people of Teesside the opportunity.
“Hopefully tonight they’ve come in and got a feeling for what I do at this football club, and I’m immensely proud.”
MFC Foundation Events & Fundraising Coordinator Diane O’Connell added: “The evening was a great success, I’m delighted that all the children and their parents had such a great time.
“We wanted to give the young footballers of this area the opportunity to come and learn about the important things at their age, having fun and enjoying their football.”