Pérez & Iversen Join Community School Event For National Fitness Day
- Leicester City in the Community promote National Fitness Day at local school
- Pupils at St. Mary’s Fields Primary School were involved in the activation
- Foxes stars Ayoze Pérez and Daniel Iversen made surprise appearances
- They took part in several sport and fitness activities with the children
Sixty year four pupils from the Premier League Primary Stars partner school - which is based in Leicester - took part in six activity stations ran by coaches from the Club’s charitable arm, including dodgeball, bean bag games, tag games, basketball, soccercise and football.
Foxes pair Pérez and Iversen, alongside Club mascot Filbert Fox, made special guest appearances, engaging in several of the activities with the children, before answering their questions on health, fitness and exercise.
Speaking at the event, Pérez commented: “It’s great to get involved in some different sports. We’re trying to be as close as possible to the community and the kids, helping them out.
“It’s important for them to always be involved in terms of sports and activities, so being at this event is important. For the kids, it’s a day they will remember, so it’s a great idea. I’m very happy to be involved in it.”
The event promoted National Fitness Day, which provides an opportunity to highlight the role physical activity plays across the UK, raising awareness of its importance in helping people to lead healthier lifestyles through being physically active.
That message tallies with Leicester City in the Community’s own community strategy of delivering tailored interventions to promote healthy lifestyles and increase levels of participation in physical activity.
Primary Stars Coach Thomas Twigg further explained the significance of the event - which is supported by the Premier League Community Fund - and its aims, to LCFC TV.
“It’s part of a wider engagement activity that runs across the whole country,” he stated. “It’s about getting children active, getting them outside of the classroom and giving them the opportunity to come and try lots of different activities and sports.
“It’s more than just football that we’re offering out here, and it really showcases what the Premier League Primary Stars programme is all about and using National Fitness Day to help support that.”
Outside of the school, other activations have taken place for National Fitness Day, such as a pre-match fitness warm-up before a Walking Football session in Aylestone, with passing exercises and walks around the pitch.
Elsewhere, Active Women participants took part in soccercise and football drills outside King Power Stadium for their latest session.
There are plenty of other opportunities for all age groups to get involved in the local area, too, with Leicester City in the Community running sessions aimed at helping to improve fitness.
Several upcoming activities include Healthy Goals – a 12-week programme supporting adults on making positive health and lifestyle changes through education and physical activity.
Weight Loss League, meanwhile, is for anyone over 30 with a BMI of 28+, who can join a weekly football league where the bigger the weight loss, the greater benefit to the team.
Contact Mehul Karia on mehul.karia@lcfc.co.uk for more information and to get involved.