Southgate Hosts PokÉmon Futsal Skills Session
England Manager Gareth Southgate visited pupils at Torriano Primary School to help launch the latest additions to the Pokémon Futsal programme.
Southgate, along with leading FA coaches, hosted a training session for children from the school’s year five class. During the session, pupils trialled the new resources which are available to download via Mastertheball.com.
The session saw children engage with a series of games from the Pokémon Futsal resources for 2022. Southgate outlined the importance of futsal in developing football skills, as well as discussing the year ahead of the England national team.
Pupils were also given a series of Pokémon gifts, including a special trading card featuring Pikachu in an England shirt.
Southgate said, “It’s amazing to see and hear about the passion for Pokémon Futsal. I’ve worked a lot in youth football and know how important futsal can be as a pathway for developing a young person’s football skills and confidence before they transition to the 11-a-side format.
“The new resources created by Pokémon and the FA will make futsal fun and engaging as well as offering a great opportunity to build confidence through small-sided games. I would encourage as many schools as possible to visit Mastertheball.com and learn more about Pokémon Futsal.”
Pokémon Futsal combines a series of futsal training games that aim to help schools introduce futsal or prepare for the School Games, a government-led initiative designed to deliver competitive school sport to all young people.
