Fulham Football Club’s Community Sports Trust's (CST) and Surrey County Cricket officially launched the ECHO project at the Brit Oval recently.
ECHO stands for Equality Coaching Healthy Options and uses professional sports to engage children in healthy lifestyles by promoting key health messages combined with structured football and cricket coaching.
Fulham defender, Ian Pearce, and Surrey players, Mark Butcher and Jonathan Batty, attended the launch and coached children from Vauxhall and St Anne’s Primary Schools.
Fulham defender Ian Pearce:
“Football players love trying out different sports and it's great to be part of an initiative that gives children the opportunity to play both cricket and football and at the same time learn about living a healthier lifestyle.”
Following on from a successful pilot scheme the ECHO programme, delivered jointly by Fulham Football Club’s Community Sports Trust’s (CST) & Surrey County Cricket, will be available to all primary schools in Lambeth from January. The Echo project plans to reach over 4,000 pupils from 72 schools each year and consists of five visits by qualified coaching staff from both teams. Children will benefit from picking up nutritional tips on how to lead a healthier lifestyle as well as coaching.
Speaking at the launch, Head of Fulham Football Club Community Sports Trust, Simon Morgan said:
"ECHO is a perfect example of Community partnership work benefiting grass roots sport. The unique partnership between Fulham FC and Surrey CCC gives the children the exciting opportunity to play football and cricket while the support from the Football Foundation and Lambeth Council means the youngsters can also be educated about a healthy lifestyle. ECHO promises to be a fantastic initiative to benefit thousands of Lambeth children and emphasises the commitment of two major professional Clubs to their local community."
Surrey County Cricket Club Community Manager, George Foster said:
“Surrey have been working with Fulham Football Club for a couple of years now and it’s great to see the positive impact on the children who participate on these courses. It gives them a fantastic opportunity to get involved in sport at a young age and offers vital guidance on how to live a healthier lifestyle. Thanks must go to the Football Foundation, Lambeth Council and Lambeth Primary Care Trust for helping make this possible.”
Lord Pendry, President of the Football Foundation, added:
“It is fantastic to see Fulham Football Club and Surrey County Cricket Club teaming up to help fight childhood obesity with the help of Football Foundation funding. Sports like cricket and football are extremely effective tools for teaching kids how to stay fit and healthy. The multi-sport element of ECHO makes it a particularly exciting programme.”
To learn more about the Echo project or how Fulham FC Community Sports Trust are working in Lambeth, please contact Russell Findlay on 020 7737 5764 or at rfindlay@fulhamfc.com|