CHILDREN at a primary school in Newport were left starstruck on Tuesday morning when they turned up for assembly to find the Premier League trophy and two professional footballers waiting for them.
The pupils at Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary welcomed former Wales captain Ashley Williams and Newport County striker Offrande Zanzala as part of the 30th birthday celebrations of the Premier League.
Their school was chosen because of eight pupils’ victorious performances at a Premier League Primary Stars tournament, held in Watford last year.
Five of the teammates have since moved on to secondary school, but the remaining three – goalkeeper Kaitlyn Davis and outfield players Ava Marchant and Lilly Price (all aged 10) – earned a special mention and a huge round of applause from Williams, Zanzala, and their classmates in the assembly.
Mr Williams, who captained Wales to the last four of Euro 2016 and won 86 caps for his country, spoke to the pupils about the importance of resilience on and off the pitch; and Deiniol Parselle, of Newport sports charity County in the Community, spoke about the values of the Primary Stars scheme – being ambitious, inspiring, connected and fair.
Before the pupils had their photographs taken with the famous trophy, there was a short video showing the highlights of the previous season, with Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo receiving the biggest cheers.
And the assembly was also a chance to highlight the important work of County in the Community, which since 2013 has worked with schools across Gwent, run football courses for children and adults, and organised programmes for mental health and disabilities.
Charity trustee Danielle Seivwright was presented with a special armband and pennant as she was named a Community Captain by the Premier League.
She said: “I was really honoured. There are loads of volunteers – not just people who turn up once and go away, we’ve got a real pool of committed volunteers who do fantastic work all across South East Wales. So to be chosen is a great honour for me.”
Norman Parselle, chief executive of County in the Community, said: “People see how much money is involved around football, but Newport County is a fan-owned club and a community club. It’s vital we give something back to the community. We’re very lucky to have the support of the manager, the club, and players like Oz (Zanzala) who put a smile on people’s faces."
Meanwhile, Mr Zanzala – who is currently sidelined with injury – said: “I’ve missed playing with the lads and can’t wait to get back fit and support the team where I can. Coming here today to the primary school and helping out, and speaking to the young kids, it’s something I like doing, and giving back to the community, which is a big part of being a professional footballer.”
Speaking to the Argus after the assembly, former Swansea City and Everton defender Mr Williams was also full of praise for the football’s community volunteers.
“It’s one of the things that doesn’t get spoken about enough,” he said. “All the football clubs I’ve been to, the Premier League and the football league, they do good work in the community. There are a lot of volunteers and a lot of people who give up their time for free to put things on in a safe environment.”
He added: “I’m always keen when I can to get involved with things like this and get kids involved in football. We’ve been talking about resilience… and I think football’s a great vehicle for that. If they take one thing, one little bit of advice from this morning’s assembly, one little bit of inspiration, I think it’s a good and different way to get through to kids about those values.”
And with the World Cup in Qatar just 10 weeks away, he said Wales should be optimistic of a strong performance in Group B.
“I’m excited to go, I’m excited for us to go as a country, and I think it’s a success to get there,” he said. “But because of recent successes [in 2016 and 2021], we did well in both of those by exiting the group stage, and it would be nice if we did that again. It’s a tough group we’re in, but it’s not a one we’re not capable of getting out of. We’re a good team, and we’ve got people’s respect.”
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