A pupil at Ravensbury Community School – a stone’s throw away from the Etihad Stadium – Hayley had dressed up as a Manchester City Women goalkeeper for her class’ recent ‘Celebrate Me’ day.
And to show their appreciation for her support, Chloe and Sandy made a surprise visit to her City in the Community lesson, taking part in a short Q&A with pupils.
However, the true reason for their visit was to surprise superfan Hayley with a mascot package for the Manchester derby at the Etihad.
The players also brought gift bags for all the pupils containing footballs, bobble hats, water bottles and other City goodies, with the duo taking time out to sign footballs for the kids.
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Chloe Kelly said of the visit: “It’s been brilliant, coming down here today. It’s amazing to see so many kids with smiles on their faces.
“Sandy and I were in their position a long time ago, waiting for the bell for lunchtime so we could get out into the playground and kick a ball around!
“It’s great to see them all so happy and bless her, Hayley was in tears when we gave her the mascot package for the derby. I don’t remember having any similar opportunities when I was in school, so it’s amazing to be able to do this for the kids now.
“It’s amazing for us to be able to visit these kids and for them to come to the game too – you can literally see the Etihad from their classroom window, so it’s brilliant.
“We’ve got City fans in our team and they’re certainly firing everyone up for the weekend!
“We all feel the derby feeling – this is an amazing one to be involved in as it promises to be an exciting clash of two great teams.”
Sandy MacIver added: “When we get the opportunity to come into the community, it’s so worthwhile – you only have to look at Hayley’s reaction to see that.
“It was such a special moment and especially with her being a young, budding goalkeeper, it makes it extra personal for me.
“It’s a privilege to be able to give something back to young girls who are enjoying the game. When I was younger, we didn’t have the female role models to look up to that girls nowadays do, so to be in that position is something that we will never take for granted.
“Having kids like Hayley look to us as role models puts us in a position where we can really help young girls coming through.
“It’s going to be such a big game – a home derby too. I don’t think there’s many games that are as special as that. It’ll be an exciting day not only for Hayley, but for us as a team, and hopefully we can get the three points.”
Check out the best images from Chloe and Sandy’s visit via the gallery below...
