Chelsea coaching clinics benefit all in Atlanta

Our Chelsea FC coaches from the International Football Development program kept up their important work in nearby neighborhoods while we were in Atlanta.

Together with Soccer in the Streets, a non-profit organization in Atlanta that serves urban areas, we provided six specialized coaching sessions.

Kids aged eight to 16 got to take part in the sessions, thanks to the help of EA Sports – FC Future. During the clinics, all the kids had fun doing different training exercises to improve their skills like dribbling, passing, receiving the ball, and free-kicks, following the EA Futures drills program.

Every training session ended with a variety of mini games to allow participants to demonstrate their new skills.

The train station soccer clinics took place at StationSoccer sites in Lindbergh and West End. These clinics are conveniently located near train stations to make it easy for people to attend. This is all part of a creative program to revitalize neighborhoods that are near public transportation throughout the city.

The classes were taught by the coaches from Chelsea International Football Development named Ian Woodroffe, Christopher Woodward, Jack West and Tom Atkinson.

On Tuesday morning, we had a surprise guest, Gary Cahill, who participated in the sessions. Later in the week, the excitement grew even more when six Chelsea players showed up to surprise the young attendees.

Reece James, Malo Gusto, Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo, Wesley Fofana and Marcus Bettinelli joined in the activities to give an unforgettable experience to the kids from Atlanta. They also received complimentary tickets to watch our amazing 3-0 victory against Club America at the Mercedez-Benz Stadium.

The Chelsea team led by Cahill emerged victorious in the EA Rush competition, and he spoke about how crucial it is to participate in such tournaments.

Cahill mentioned that the coaches were emphasizing the importance of the pitches in allowing the kids to play football in such a densely populated area. He described it as a positive initiative.

I visited the place a few times and our trainers have been organizing some excellent sessions. It was really great to see the children enjoying themselves and playing happily. I participated in a few sessions and shared some tips with them!

The coaches from the area also gained from Chelsea's knowledge, participating in a hands-on workshop that allowed them to enhance their own coaching methods. It was a very advantageous week for everyone who took part.

Ian Woodroffe, the leader of international development at Chelsea FC, stated: "It is crucial to showcase these initiatives to support communities that face challenges in accessing the sport because of limited space and high participation costs."

I had a great time this week collaborating with the Soccer in the Streets team and players. The idea of revitalizing areas and supporting the inner city community with free programs using funds from adult pay-to-play leagues is truly amazing.

The players and coaches have been fantastic to collaborate with and we have established many valuable relationships that we look forward to developing further in the future.