Accrington Stanley stars Devon Matthews and David Tutonda swapped the pitch for the classroom recently as they joined Accrington Stanley Community Trust at Peel Park Primary School to support our Joy of Moving programme.
The theme of the week was the Eatwell Guide, with Devon and David giving pupils a fascinating insight into the diet of a professional footballer. The pair spoke about what they eat in a typical day, the importance of maintaining a healthy and balanced diet and how the food they eat helps them to train, recover and perform at their best.
They also explained how their routine might change in the build-up to a match, giving the children a real-life example of why making healthy choices and looking after your body is so important.
There was also plenty of time for questions, with pupils keen to find out more about life as a professional footballer. Devon and David answered questions about their careers, training and matchdays, as well as sharing some of their experiences of being professional players.
Devon said: “It was great to come into the school and spend some time with the children. They asked us some brilliant questions and hopefully we were able to show them how important eating well and looking after yourself is, not just for footballers but for everyone.”
The visit then moved outside, where both players got stuck into the physical activity element of the Joy of Moving session. Having two Stanley first-team players joining in with the games created a fantastic atmosphere, with the children thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to play alongside them.
David said: “I really enjoyed the visit. The children had loads of energy and it was great to get involved in the activities with them. When we were their age, we would have loved having professional footballers come into our school, so hopefully it’s given them a day they’ll remember.”
The Joy of Moving programme combines classroom learning with physical activity to help children understand the importance of leading a healthy and active lifestyle. Sessions are designed to make learning fun and engaging, encouraging children to develop positive habits while enjoying being active.
For Project Lead Mason King, having Stanley players involved was a fantastic way of bringing the messages delivered through the programme to life.
Mason said: “The children absolutely loved having Devon and David involved. We can talk about healthy eating, exercise and looking after your body during our sessions, but hearing directly from professional footballers really reinforces those messages. Both players were brilliant with the children, answering all their questions and getting fully involved outside. You could see how much it meant to the pupils and that’s what Joy of Moving is all about – making learning about healthy lifestyles enjoyable and memorable.”
The visit was a fantastic example of the link between Accrington Stanley and the work of the Community Trust in local schools.
A huge thank you to Devon and David for giving up their time and embracing the session. Their involvement certainly made the pupils’ day and helped create a Joy of Moving lesson that the children at Peel Park Primary School won’t forget in a hurry!