England 1966 hero Hurst in town for big day at Gateway
Families from Tilbury enjoyed a fun-packed day of football fever on Sunday at the McDonald's Football Open Day, courtesy of Tilbury McDonald's franchisee Craig Newnes in partnership with Tilbury FC.
The free Open Day, which took place at the Gateway Academy was part of the McDonald's community football programme which aims to help more people support football in the community either as players, supporters or coaches and saw people from Tilbury and the surrounding area come together to celebrate the national game.
McDonald's Football Ambassadors Sir Geoff Hurst, 1966 World Cup hero and McDonald's Director of Football, and McDonald's Head Coach Eric Harrison, the man responsible for nurturing the talents of Ryan Giggs and David Beckham at Manchester Utd, were on hand to cast an eye over the local football talent, provide football skills, coaching and tips and even posed for photography and signed autographs.
It's the first time that Craig Newnes, who runs Tilbury McDonald's Restaurant in Essex has hosted a football Open Day, although he has supported Tilbury FC for the past two years, and has already provided the club with new kit and coaching equipment through the McDonald's Restaurant and Football Club Twinning Programme.
Craig commented: "The McDonald's Open Day is a great opportunity for people to get together and enjoy football. Whether it was a youngster having their first kick of the ball or dad getting some coaching skills at the coaching clinic, there was something for everyone. It was great so many people came along to join in the fun and support Tilbury FC."
Graham Chester of Tilbury FC said: "It has been a great day of football and we hope that everyone who came along had as much fun as we did. Grassroots football is key to the development of the national game and it was inspiring to see so many people, young and old, wanting to get involved. Thanks to Craig and their team for all of the support – we couldn't have done it without them!"
<Sir Geoff Hurst added: "We want to inspire everyone to get involved in football, from grassroots level and beyond and the Open Days are a fantastic starting point. As well as bringing the community together for a fun family day, we're offering new skills and providing people with the opportunity to get involved. I'm attending Open Days across the country and I've been amazed at the enthusiasm being shown for the national game. I think it's great that we're bringing the fun back into football and encouraging more people to enjoy the national game."
