Morpeth Town introduce relaxed Pop Up and Play football sessions for youngsters

The idea behind the Pop Up and Play sessions is to allow youngsters to play football in a more relaxed, but still safe setting without having to take part in training sessions.

Steven Shaw, event organiser, said: “Following on from the success of the format of our school holiday camps and Junior Supporters Club, we wanted to have a bit of a throwback to the old ‘youth clubs’, where you could go and play football with your friends in a safe environment but being completely different from having the constraints of a training session with drills.

“Don’t get me wrong, formal training sessions are fantastic for player development and this session in no way would replace what the boys and girls are doing with their junior clubs, but just being able to go out and play with freedom, trying tricks, playing with boys and girls older and younger all form part of a child’s social skills as well as the physical, technical and tactical elements of the game.

“We were delighted with how the soft launch went and look forward to welcoming more children along to future sessions as we cement our links with the local community.”

All the sessions will be supervised by qualified coaches who have passed enhanced DBS checks and have first aid training.

Adults are welcome to stay to watch, with refreshments available.

The sessions run on Tuesdays and Fridays from 4.30pm-5.30pm and cost £3.

They will take place on Craik Park’s 3G pitch so youngsters must wear firm ground/Astro boots only, no studs or flat-soled trainers.

The club has also announced the dates of its popular children’s summer camps, which will run from Tuesday to Thursday.

There will be five camps, starting on July 25, with the last one starting on August 22.

Children can join for a day for £20, or all three days for £50.

For more information about the community football sessions, or the summer camps, contact [email protected]

The club has also announced its season ticket prices, with discounts for all tickets bought before June 30.

Adult season tickets cost £160 before June 30, £190 after, and include entry to all the club’s pre-season friendlies.

Visit https://morpethtownfc.ktckts.com/.../season-ticket-202324 for details.