A NEW children's football community, which welcomes all youngsters to come out of their shells and learn how to play, is proving a success in York.
The Football Fun Factory runs classes for children ages two to 12 at six venues across York, including in Acomb, Copmanthorpe, Huntington and Heworth.
The aim is to create a family-feel community and make football accessible to anybody who wants to play, both boys and girls, and of any ability.
The sessions are based around fun, so that children can learn new football skills.
The first three weeks of any class is free to allow children to test it out for themselves.
The head coach, Calum McKenzie, has 30 years of UEFA qualified coaching and playing semi-professional football under his belt, and he runs the classes alongside his FA and UEFA qualified coaches.
He said: "I want to give back to the sport that I love. We want to make kids smile and have fun.
"We wanted to be completely different to other clubs. There are so many kids who think, or are told, that they aren't good enough which is something we will never do.
"We are a warm community, we welcome every kid individually and cater around every child's ability.
"Children will not be put on trial to see if they are 'good enough'- they will put us on trial to see if we are a good fit for them."
Over their first five months, the community has grown to more than 250 members.
Classes for two to five year olds are held on Saturdays and offer an introduction to football on inflatable piches.
For ages five and above, the classes are broken into age groups and are held in the evenings on astroturf outdoors.
The Football Fun Factory also do birthday parties and football camps through the school holidays, which run from 9am to 3.30pm, with the next one during the February half term.
Calum said: "We give out blue cards at the end of the session, not to award the best player, but to who had the best attitude - the one that tried their hardest, or who helped their friend when they fell over.
"We've had an outsanding response from both the parents and the children - we have seen children go from really shy to loud and confident.
"We want to be right for the parents, we are a community, and I am an open book to answer any questions they may have.
"We are first aid trained, and trained in ADHD and autism."
Football Fun Factory is affiliated with City of York Council.
For those interested in finding out more about Football Fun Factory, click here.
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