Bale Delivers 100,000th McDonald’s Kit
Real Madrid and Wales star Gareth Bale visited grassroots football club Sully Sports FC to deliver the 100,000th football kit from the McDonald’s kit scheme.
In its second year, the scheme offers every accredited grassroots club in the UK a free kit as part of McDonald’s ongoing partnership with the Football Association Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.
Football Association Wales (FAW) ambassador, Gareth Bale joined Sully Sports FC after scoring in Wales’ 2-0 win over Andorra the night before, to surprise the team at a training session.
He joined the club’s under-13s side for a training session with the youngsters, passing on tips and advice.
Following the coaching session, Bale said: “Every time you put on a Wales shirt and play for your country, you feel a wave of pride and passion. It is a feeling that will never leave you. It was fantastic to see that pride in the kids’ faces today when wearing their new kit.
“I still remember the time I put on my first ever football kit, you never forget your first match. It is a brilliant feeling to run out and play alongside your friends. From grassroots football to playing for your country, your kit is what makes you a team and every one of these players today can now enjoy playing in a top quality kit thanks to the McDonald’s programme.”
Bale, added: “The work that McDonald’s does to support accredited clubs with the FAW in Wales, and also across the UK, is vital to our game. It is where we all start as players and the efforts that have gone in to developing and supporting youth players in Wales is starting to benefit us on the international stage. The hard work that goes in now, will help the side for years to come and I cannot thank all the volunteers, FAW, coaches and grassroots clubs, all supported by McDonald’s, enough.”
McDonald’s chief executive, Paul Pomroy, said: “At McDonald’s we are passionate about our football programme and the role it plays in supporting and sustaining grassroots clubs across the UK. We have been overwhelmed with the response that the kit scheme has received since we launched last August and to have Gareth deliver the 100,000th kit today was a fantastic landmark for the programme.
“We proudly support over 7,000 clubs across the UK, the kit scheme is just one of many examples of how young players benefit from our ongoing investment in community football. Clubs tell us they use the money saved by the kit and equipment we provide to invest in training more coaches, improving facilities and reducing the costs passed onto players and their parents therefore increasing the opportunity for children to enjoy the beautiful game.”
