She'll meet a Sven (From Free Press Series)

She'll meet a Sven

A PONTYPOOL mother who traded washing her daughter's football kit for taking to the field herself as a coach has been invited to swap tips with England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson at a star studded celebration event in London.

Sharon Leek, aged 40, has been specially selected from over 10,000 fellow volunteer community coaches to meet Sven, World Cup Legend Sir Geoff Hurst and the Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP, for lunch at The Savoy Hotel in London on April 25.

The event has been organized to celebrate McDonald's achieving its aim of creating 10,000 new community coaches within four years.

The scheme is run in partnership with The FA, Scottish FA, Irish FA and Football Association of Wales and Sharon embarked on the course to become a community coach after setting up a girls' football team three years ago.

She explained: "I became involved when my daughter Ellie started St Alban's RC Primary School. They did not have a girls' team so she started going to the boys' sessions after school with her friends.

"I asked Ellie's school if I could put on extra training sessions girls and these proved so popular that I was able to set up a team." And so St Albans RC girls' team was born.

Sharon was told about the McDonald's community coaching scheme by football development officer Jeff Thomas and she quickly signed up for the course.

The enthusiastic volunteer has now qualified for her football leaders award and hopes to further her coaching by taking her level two qualification.

Her top three tips for coaching success are having respect for the children, allowing them to have fun and varying their program of activity every week.

She said: "The club has between 12 and 15 girls and the players have improved immensely and they don't often lose now.

"I have a sporting background myself and it's great to see the children enjoying themselves and being active," she added.

Sharon confessed she is really excited about the prospect of meeting Sven and other sporting legends at the event and is keen to recommend more people to try coaching.

"Anyone from any walk of life can get involved with community coaching and I would encourage everyone to try it."