AN INSPIRATIONAL football coach is giving training sessions to hundreds of young children online.
Thomas Allman, of Flint, was about to launch his new Football Lab in Mostyn when that had to be put on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Having coached children at Cornist Park School in Flint, as well as others throughout Flintshire, Wrexham and Cheshire, he thought he would take the lessons online.
He is posting twice-weekly drill sessions of 40 minutes that children can follow online either alone or with a parent or sibling.
The sessions are already proving popular with more than 230 children taking part - including twenty players from the Deeside Dragons girls team and one in the USA!
Thomas said the youngest child taking part is five but the drills are suitable for all ages, even adults, making them perfect for children who miss playing football or parents who want to fit in a PE lesson into their home-schooling curriculum.
An image from the coaching videos
Thomas, who runs the Football Lab with business partner Russell Flint, said: "The Football Lab never really got a chance to get going so I decided to keep working with our players online. Then I thought why not make it available to everyone, I am thinking of keeping the online coaching going after things get back to normal.
"We have players from all over doing it, there is no timescale so they can fit in the drills when they want. All they need is a ball and some cones. They don't even need the cones, one lad used his tee shirts instead.
"We just want to help as many people as possible."
An image from the coaching videos
The sessions include drills that players can do alone. As we go on we will have some passing drills where the players can use a wall or get one of their parents involved."
The sessions are about keeping active and intensity - but the players can moderate the intensity depending on their age and fitness.
Describing the sessions on his YouTube channel, Thomas added: "With these at home football drills you have no excuses when it comes to improving your football skills. This basic routine focuses on all the different football skills players can focusing on. Workouts includes football drills for speed, football drills for ball control, and much more."
The Football Lab in Mostyn
Thomas is an experienced coach, having earned his A Licence from UEFA, the official governing body of European football.
Sessions are uploaded at 9am on Mondays and Tuesdays.
To find out more subscribe to Allman 121 Coaching on YouTube or go to https://www.facebook.com/allman121coaching
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