Nottingham Forest v Fulham

ANDY REID, RYAN YATES AND DJED SPENCE ATTEND
FOREST FOOTBALL FESTIVAL
Earlier this month, Nottingham Forest Community Trust (NFCT)
hosted the Forest Football Festival in partnership with the Nottingham Schools’
Football Association (NSFA).
This action-packed event welcomed over 20 local
schools to The Forest Sports Zone with teams
eager to play football and, of course, have fun.
The day saw hundreds of children from different
schools across Nottingham, as well as their
teachers, staff, and coaches from Nottingham
Forest Community Trust.
The children were also treated to appearances
from former Reds legend and now Under 23 head
coach, Andy Reid, as well as first team players,
Ryan Yates and Djed Spence who were keen to see
some local talent and award children with their
certificates and medals.
Graham Moran, BEM, Nottingham Forest
Community Trust Chief Executive Officer, was
in attendance and was delighted to see such a
fantastic turn out.
Graham said “We are proud to organise large
events such as this that celebrate the development
of community football. It goes without saying, that
we wouldn’t be able to recruit so many schools
without the support of the NSFA.
“For us, it’s important that every school in the city
has the opportunity to take part. Previously, we’ve
operated similar events on a smaller scale. However,
this is the start of something much bigger and better.
We want to make sure we have a regular calendar of
events that schools can access throughout the year,
for both girls’ and boys’ football.”
Andy Reid arrived as the tournament was in full flow
to the delight of the children involved. Andy was on
hand to offer advice and words of wisdom to the
youngsters and gave his thoughts on the occasion.
Andy said on the day: “It’s a great atmosphere
and the kids are all really enjoying it. Football is
supposed to be fun and it’s clear there is plenty
of that today. There are some good players down
here and I have been watching a lot of the games.
“It’s not necessarily about who’s the best though,
football must aim to be inclusive and it’s great to
see players and teams from all over the city.
Nottingham Forest Community Trust would like
to thank all the schools’ involved, the Nottingham
Schools’ FA and of course, Andy Reid, Ryan Yates
and Djed Spence for attending the event.
In addition, the Trust would like to mention the
post-16 education students, who were present for
the whole event and helped coordinate and run
proceedings.
If you would like any more information
on future events, please visit
nottinghamforestcommunitytrust.co.uk
49