Football festival is the apple of Adams' eye
9:09am Friday 18th July 2008
AN ENGLAND soccer legend was at the centre of the action in Basingstoke as hundreds of football-mad youngsters took part in the Hampshire leg of the McDonald's Festival of Football.
Tony Adams, the former Arsenal and England player, came along to Winklebury Football Complex to give the youngsters the benefit of his extensive football experience.
Mr Adams, who is currently based in Hampshire as Harry Redknapp's number two at FA Cup-winning Portsmouth FC, watched several games at the event.
The festival saw 650 youngsters playing in football matches throughout the day as part of a national drive to get more youngsters involved in sport.
Hampshire FA, which has its headquarters at the Winklebury site, was also heavily involved with the event, which saw under-10s team Oakfield Juniors nominated to represent Hampshire under the fair play principle at the national festival, due to be held at Wembley.
Mr Adams, 41, had the pleasant job of presenting the medals and goody bags to all the youngsters who took part.
He told The Gazette: "This is where it all starts. I started playing football like this, in the community, and it's a good grounding.
"Football is great for bringing communities together. It's very powerful and has saved my life a couple of times."
He added: "All the kids are having fun today and that's the most important thing. And they all get their fruit bags from McDonald's after their games."
When asked about Pompey signing Liverpool striker Peter Crouch last week, the former Gunner said: "It's a great atmosphere now that he's back. It's looking good."
Charlotte Brown, who organised the event for Hampshire FA, said: "The festival was a complete success. I have been inundated with thank-you letters from parents, children, clubs and other supporters."
As part of McDonald's Football Festival Programme, a total of 63 events have been held across the UK this year.
The drive behind the events is to bring local communities together with an emphasis on enjoyment, fair play and sportsmanship.