A grand day out for Coleen Rooney

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Today was the biggest day in the racing calendar, the Grand National, and one of the UK most famous WAGs turned up looking exceptionally stylish, despite being 8 months pregnant. Coleen Rooney stepped out in a clinging, black lycra dress which emphasised her bump and a lace panel over her boobs. She teamed with a killer set of scarlet heels, dismissing the myth that those so close to giving birth have to live in flats.

Coleen is always a head of the game when it comes to fashion, and her maternity outfits never fail to impress either. She has appeared in a series of great outfits since she announced that she was pregnant with the couple’s second son, who is due to make an appearance next month. Accompanying her to Aintree were her mum Colette McLoughlin, herself looking a lot colourful than we are used to in a turquoise dress with with bright yellow handbag and shoes.

Although husband Wayne was at home injured, Coleen did bring along his little mini-me; 3 year old son Kai. The youngest member of the party was looking very stylish in a pale blue and white ensemble with striped pants, and he even brought along his own Buzz Lightyear booster seat to ensure he missed none of the action on the course.

Wayne’s boss was there too but not as a mere spectator, Sir Alex Ferguson had two horses in the starting line up; What a Friend and Harry the Viking. Neither were in it at the finish however, with the surprise winner being the 66-1 shot Aurora’s Encore. Whether any of Coleen’s group won a few quid is unknown, but if there are was a style race Mrs Rooney would have won by a length.

50 years of footballing fashion on display at the National Football Museum Manchester

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If you haven’t yet paid a visit to the National Football Museum since its relocation from Preston to Manchester, it’s new exhibition might just be the one to tempt you in. The name; Strike a Pose; 50 years of Football and Fashion is a complete giveaway and takes a look at everything that links both football and fashion from the way that kits have evolved over the years, through the many dodgy haircuts and the rise and rise of the WAG.

This is not merely a fashion show however, as the exhibition effectively deals with how the coupling of the beautiful game and fashion have changed both society and popular culture and also led to violence in the terraces. Inspired by the best selling book from 2004; The Fashion of Football From Best to Beckham, From Mod to Label Slave by Mark Baxter and Paolo Hewitt, they have run with the authors’ belief that what unites fashion and football is passion.

Things started to change in the 1960’s when the footballing minimum wage was scrapped and they could then start to lead more lavish lifestyles than their predecessors could ever have dreamt of. Fans started to take sartorial inspiration from their stylish icons, a trend that continues today. The late and great George Best owned a fashion boutique in Manchester on Bridge Street, so it is fitting that the exhibition looks at the part he played in the 60’s.

Another fun inclusion from recent times is the ovecoat favoured by Jose Mourinho during his time at Chelsea, and itself an inspiration for a song sung by the fans at matches. There have also been some notable faux pas, lest we forget those white suits the Liverpool team sported before the FA Cup Final in 1996. Gamely, Robbie Fowler has supplied one of these offensive items for the exhibition, fine in 76′ but a definite no no two decades later.

It hasn’t yet been disclosed which famous hairstyles have made the cut but obvious inclusions would be the Keegan bubble perm and the 80’s mullets sported by Glen Hoddle and Chris Waddle. There are many photographs on display courtesy of one of Britain’s finest photographers Terry O’Neill who shot to fame in the 60’s with his candid shots of celebs. An avid footie fan, O’Neill happily provided images for the display, including a great shot of a very young Bobby Moore, described by the museum as an unlikely style icon.

The dark side of football is also explored and looks at the links between the terraces and the skinheads, mods, casuals and how the different styles spilled over into explicit violence, and even today exists in the form of racism. This is an excellent exhibition which runs until the 27th August 2013, so get along there if you can.

 

 

 

 

 

David Beckham takes up his role as global ambassador for China

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Football is gaining ground in China and now David Beckham has become the global ambassador for China in order to help manage the country’s image and reputation at the big game. The Chinese Super League is the name of the national team and it has recently been under a lot of scrutiny as players have left the team to join other brands instead. Didier Drogba is one high profile player who left, plus the group has suffered from a scandal about match fixing recently which certainly does not help its case.

At 37 years old, Beckham will help the team while still maintaining his day job playing for St-Germain in Paris. In a recent press event, he said that this was an important role for him, and that this was time for the country to help shape Chinese football in history. In this new role, he will help China set matches up and promote the team to children and others. He also says that there are a lot of potential football fans in China which need to discovery the sport with proper marketing efforts.

The Chinese team has had a hard time getting into matches recently, with Ivory Coast recently removing the China position in their matches for Turkish teams instead, a controversial move that China contested.

The recent player departures also did not help the team which may now be struggling to be able to participate in 2013 matches starting this month. Corruption has also been alleged in the Chinese Super League with many officials being banned by Fifa. Needless to say, Beckham may have his work cut out for him

New football programme for kids from Lee Hendrie

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New football programme for kids from Lee Hendrie

New football programme for kids from Lee Hendrie

Lee Hendrie, Aston Villa’s former star, is launching a national inspirational network of football sessions aimed at kids, whose goal is to help show children the ups and downs of football.

These sessions will greatly help build the children’s self-esteem, develop their confidence and boost friendship with other kids, and more importantly, harness opportunities for those who will show real talent at a tender age.

Lee, a 35 year-old father of 2 children, plays for Tamworth and has been leading the development of an activity programme called FootieBugs (can be found at www.footiebugs.com), which is a pilot scheme rolled out in selected Southern, Midlands and Northern areas.

FootieBugs is a professional football activity session programme for children aged three to nine, offering fun classes teaching fundamental football skills. One of the most important and exciting aspects for Lee, is that sessions can be enjoyed by girls and boys as well as encouraging friendship and respect among children from different ethnic backgrounds.

It’s also hoped that youngsters’ involvement in football can have a positive effect on their communities and parents are also encouraged to get involved.

But Lee also says that learning you can win or lose a game of football from the age of three will be a boost for those youngsters with their sights set on a future in the sport – and that if he’d been able to have such experience, he would have approached the game differently.

“With all my experience playing at the top flight of football, I’ve a lot to give,” he says.

“As a professional footballer and a dad, I was confident I could put an excellent football programme for children together, but I wanted it to be more than just teaching children core football skills.

“I wanted to make a difference and help educate children and their families into the importance of a living healthily and how it can affect their child’s sporting potential. I wanted to help prepare children physically and emotionally for the life ahead of them and so by utilising the expertise of early year’s educators, physiotherapists and other professional footballers, I have developed an all round professional football programme that has as much emphasis on fun as it does on fundamental football skills.”

“I’ve spent over 12-months developing the programme by researching how football could address a number of issues currently affecting young children.

“I’ve spent time talking to physiotherapists from clubs that I have played for, I contacted my children’s head teacher as an early year’s specialist and I researched the opinions of parents as to what was important to them for their child’s development and their expectations from a children activity.

“I also sought advice from Gareth Barry and Joe Hart of Man city, Ashley Young of Man Utd and Gary Cahill of Chelsea with regards to the core skills of football, teamwork and the mental strength of teamwork, social skills and interaction with others to ensure I was on the right track.

“I want to pass on the best skills I can, including passing the ball, heading and shooting, all the things that make a complete footballer.”

Lee has worked with expert physios and childcare professionals to painstakingly prepare a structured activity programme, as part of The Bugs Group, which also includes YogaBugs, the largest and most successful children’s yoga specialist with operations throughout the UK, Australia, China and Singapore.

“I want to help kids who want to be footballers reach their goal, I wanted to be a footballer from a young age, I worked through similar stuff myself and got rewards from it.

“Who knows, we may find the next Wayne Rooney and I’m really excited about the chance to help them but it’s also about having fun and children developing vital social skills through football.

“It’s important that this is a mix of boys and girls. Girls’ football is brilliant now in the UK and I want to help both boys and girls become the best players they can be.

“If we see someone who stands out, we want to encourage them as much as possible. We want to speak to Premiership and Championship clubs about the talent we find.”

Along with Bugs Group managing director Mark Goode, Lee is now spearheading a search for franchisees to pioneer the FootieBugs programme in the chosen regions.

Lee says: “Although football is my passion and I have been lucky enough to make it my career, not everyone has had the same opportunities. I am so excited to be able to offer others with the same passion a chance to make a real difference to the future footballers of this country.

“We want to work with people who are highly passionate about football. FootieBugs isn’t just about giving children improved football skills, it’s about giving children better life skills, teaching them how to interact with others, building their social skills, while all the time improving their confidence and self-esteem.”

The wealth of experience and passion that Lee and other professional players have been able to bring to the FootieBugs programme is what he believes will set it apart from established competitors.

The team’s contacts within professional football are also a key factor behind FootieBugs’ appeal. When talent is spotted in a young footballer, this can be nurtured and helped in a way that someone outside of professional football couldn’t.

But Lee adds: “Although FootieBugs attracts a large number of leading premiership and championship players, most of whom I have had the pleasure to play with or against; it’s the franchise owners and their team of coaches that will ensure FootieBugs remains top of the league.”

* Anyone wanting to find out more about becoming a FootieBugs franchisee should contact Kim at The Bugs Group on  0121 777 7792 or via kim@thebugsgroup.com.

 

Gazza breakdown shocks fans

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Well known footballer Paul Gascoigne appeared on stage during a charity appearance only to break down sobbing and shaking, to the amazement of gathered fans. At 45 years old, the man started to slowly shake as he got on the stage and then broke down in the middle of a speech in Northampton over the course of last week. His agent Terry Bake told the press that he needed some immediate medical assistance due to over drinking, and that his situation could be dire.

His drinking problems are nothing new, but Gascoigne often claimed that he believes he can get back on track, and that Gazza, as the fans know him, will surmount this latest challenge, even after his latest relapse. According to the Gordon Taylor, the CEO of Professional Footballers Association (PFA) said that they still support the former England midfielder, and that whatever help he needs, the association was ready to provide it as long as he comes on board for it.

That is not to say that the PFA has not been concerned about his situation. Taylor said that he and other members of the association were worried about him, and did not want a repeat of what happened back in 2005, when Northern Ireland winger George Best died at the age of 59 due to addiction to drinking for many years.

After the incident, a tweet from Peter Schmeichel commented on the fact that the association needed to step up their efforts to help stars who struggle with such issues, and that everyone should pitch in. Taylor said that so far the PFA has had numerous occasions when they offered support to Gascoigne. The star has to engage when people try to help him, which so far does not appear to be the case.