Football a hit

OLDHAM Athletic’s Community Trust is delighted by the success of its 3 v Free football sessions.

Since the initiative, which also has been supported by Oldham Community leisure, Oldham Youth Service, Groundworks and Oldham Partnership. kicked off on the Grange Astroturf pitch in Coldhurst in July, almost 50 youngsters have been attending the twice-weekly sessions.

Youngsters aged between 11 and 16 years are able to enter a team and play a series of three-a-side games.

The matches include bonus points for trick goals and other pieces of skill like nutmegs.

There is also an opportunity for youngsters to learn freestyle football skills with Athletic coaches Craig Gorey and James Hepworth.

The innovative style of informal street football has helped keep children off the streets on Thursday and Friday evenings.

Trust official James Mwale said: “With this new format of street football, we will be able to work within different areas of Oldham in the future and engage with young people during evenings by providing something different for them to do.

“We also hope we can discover more talented freestyle footballers like James and Craig.”