McDonald's free football festival tour has been bigger and better than ever this year, calling in at 125 communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and hosting over 55,000 children.
Plus, in August, over 700 lucky youngsters from England got to fulfil every child's dream by stepping out at the new Wembley Stadium for the first ever McDonald's National Football Festival. One or two famous faces were also in attendance to cast their expert eyes over the action - England Manager Steve McClaren and World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst MBE, McDonald's Director of Football.
The children followed in the footsteps of their footballing heroes when they received the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at the home of English football. After an action-packed morning of coaching at nearby Northwick Park, the boys and girls enjoyed mini tournaments on the hallowed turf of Wembley before climbing the 107 steps up to the Royal Box to collect their medals.
Each of the teams were invited to the inaugural National Football Festival, organised in partnership with The FA, after taking part at a football festival held by local County FAs and McDonald's earlier this summer.
The festivals form part of McDonald's wider community coaching programme which aims to provide more opportunities for more children to receive qualified coaching to play and enjoy the national game. Working with The FA, Scottish FA, Irish FA and Welsh Football Trust, the festivals have helped bring families, football and fun together!
