LIONS ROAR FOR WADE TRAINING SESSION

We have joined forces with Cheltenham Town Football Club to give a Gloucestershire junior football team a thrilling finale to their season.

As a club partner of Cheltenham, we ran a special competition with the Robins which was won by Longlevens Lions under 13s.

The team, which play in the Seven Valley Youth League under 13 B Division, won an exclusive training session from Cheltenham Town head coach Wade Elliott, as well as 20 tickets to a League One game at the Completely-Suzuki Stadium and a new kit for the 2023-24 season.

Former Burnley and Bournemouth midfielder Wade attended the training session at the Lions’ home pitch of Innsworth Lane Playing Fields.

Wade said: “I had a brilliant night with Longlevens Lions and I only hope that the lads enjoyed it half as much as I did.

“The grassroots game is football at its purest. You have coaches giving up their time to help youngsters and children with huge smiles on their faces playing for the love of it.

“With the pressure in the professional game, you sometimes forget what football is all about but it was great to go back and get that feeling of playing with your best mates.

“All the players live within a stone’s throw of the pitch and I could tell throughout the session that there was a great spirit and friendship amongst the team.”

The competition was open to any boys or girls team playing in a recognised league at any age group between under eights and under 15s in or around Cheltenham.

Chris Theyer, manager of Longlevens Lions, said: “We were thrilled to win the prize and the lads have had a wonderful experience from it.

“A few of them have never been to a professional match so to have the chance to go and watch Cheltenham was great.

“To then have Wade, who has played in the Premier League and is now first team coach at our local club, was fantastic.

“He really got involved in the session and gave the team a brilliant insight into life in professional football and some tips about how they could improve as individuals and as a team.

“For me as a coach, it was also great to have the chance to pick Wade’s brains and pick up one or two points. It was a fantastic experience all round and we are very grateful to both Selco and Cheltenham Town.”

Our Cheltenham branch can be found on Festival Park (GL51 9NQ).