Hosted at Melbourne’s City Football Academy, the players met a group of ten leaders from the ‘I Speak Football’ project who are currently delivering a football programme to more than 250 isolated young people in Melbourne.
Voted for by Cityzens, the leaders run weekly football sessions for youngsters who’ve recently moved to the area from different countries to boost language skills, build friendships and establish a sense of community through the global language of football.
Kelechi Ihenacho joined teammates Brandon Barker, James Horsfield, and Cameron Humphreys to take part in the clinic planned for and delivered by the young leaders and coaches from Melbourne’s City in the Community.
View the pictures from this gallery: EDS team visit Cityzens Giving project in Melbourne
As well as testing their skills on a number of fun small sided games, the team took part in a penalty shootout word game designed to test the players speed and their quick thinking ability.
Albert Mambo, one of the leaders delivering the session and who recently successfully completed the Cityzens Giving Young Leaders Summit in Manchester was thrilled to put his leadership skills into practice once again: “We’ve really enjoyed having the EDS team and Melbourne City players taking part in our session today. It was great to be able to apply the skills and knowledge learnt in Manchester to good use on such wonderful participants. Being part of this Cityzens Giving project has really enhanced my life, taught me new skills and opened the door to many more exciting opportunities – exactly like this one.”
Midfielder James Horsfield enjoyed meeting the young leaders and finding out about their project, commenting: “This morning has been a lot of fun. We got a glimpse into the amazing community work that goes on in Melbourne and as part of the Cityzens Giving programme. Community plays a big part in our Club’s ethos, so it’s great to be able to see it in action first hand.”
In June, 30 leaders from the six Cityzens Giving projects around the world, including five from Melbourne, took part in the week-long Cityzens Giving Young Leaders Summit, designed to enhance and develop the leaders’ leadership skills, confidence and practical skills. Find out how they got on here.
For more information about the Cityzens Giving programme, visit mcfc.co.uk/CityzensGiving
