City Duo Surprise Budding Premier League Primary Stars Youngsters
- Christian Fuchs and Kelechi Iheanacho took part in the draw for the 2018 Premier League Primary Stars tournament
- Pupils from local schools got the opportunity to meet the Foxes duo
- Leicester City were drawn in Group A and will face Chelsea, Brighton, Bournemouth and Newcastle
- Tournament to take place at King Power Stadium on 23 May, 2018
All 20 Premier League clubs will be holding their own heats in the lead up to the tournament to determine which local school will represent them in the Under-11 Mixed and Under-11 Girls categories on Wednesday 23 May.
Pupils from Leicestershire-based schools Alderman Richard Hallam, Buswells Lodge Primary and Forest Lodge – partners of the LCFC Community Trust – were all in attendance and were naturally overjoyed after being welcomed into Filbert Way’s home dressing room by Fuchs and Iheanacho.
Fuchs said: “It’s really exciting for Leicester. They’ve got some good teams in there and there was a big cheer when they were pulled out.
“It’s amazing playing at King Power Stadium, with our fans especially. Week in, week out, there’s an amazing atmosphere. Now, they’ve got the chance to show their talent here.
“I wish I had these opportunities – meeting players when I was young – so to see players come to the stadium and make the draw for the tournament, it’s really good what the Premier League are doing.”
Having already had a full tour of the stadium, the local youngsters high-fived their Premier League heroes before the draw began.
Leicester, drawn by Fuchs to the sound of a huge cheer, were the fourth name out of the hat and will face Brighton & Hove Albion, AFC Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Chelsea in Group A.
“It’s really inspiring for them,” said Iheanacho. “It’s been really good to see all of the kids today. I grew up in Africa and when I was young, there was nothing like this.
“Now that the draw has taken place, my advice is to just keep working hard – that’s what it’s all about.”
The Primary Stars tournament, which has been running since 2006, aims to give participants the unique opportunity to compete against other teams from England’s top flight at some of the most impressive grounds in the country.
King Power Stadium will be the venue for this year’s tournament, so be sure to check back into LCFC.com in the coming months to find out more.