SCHOOL CHILDREN in
Bolton were
given some extra special language lessons when several Bolton Wanderers'
stars turned up in class last week.
The event was organised by
Study@BWFC as part of
the Creating Chances project, which sees players get involved with schemes
in the community.Dozens of pupils from across the borough were taught French
by Nicolas Anelka and Gerald Cid, had a Spanish lesson with midfielder
Mikel Alonso
and practised their German with Academy prospect Kevin Wolze.The
event, which was held in the Hall of Fame Suite at the Reebok Stadium on
Wednesday evening, gave the youngsters a chance to improve their language
skills with the players.
Anelka,
Wanderers' record signing, said:
"It's good for
children to learn another language so when they travel they can speak the
language of the country they're in.
"They were all
very good. They asked me mainly simple questions, but it's good to try in
the first place and they have made a start."
Children were
given the opportunity to ask their favourite players about their hobbies,
favourite foods, and even if Wanderers' form was likely to improve this
season - all in the sportsmen's own languages.
Midfielder
Alonso said:
"It was a
great day. The young people were trying to pronounce words in the correct
way and it's exactly what I have to do when I speak English. It's been
really fun, but it's also very important for people to be able to speak
another language.
"Some of them
were very difficult questions and I was really impressed."
The youngsters
learned that Cid's favourite player is Zinédine Zidane and if he was not a
footballer he would have become an engineer.
Samia Durrani,
aged 11, from Beaumont Primary School, said:
"It's been
really good. I spoke to Anelka and he was really patient and very friendly.
I'm a big Wanderers fan and he's one of my favourite players."
Martin Downs,
aged 15, from Mount St Joseph's High School, said:
"I spoke to
Alonso because I'm doing GCSE Spanish and it's been really useful. Listening
to how comfortable he was speaking Spanish and the fact I could understand
what he was saying has given me a lot more confidence."
Will Caldwell,
aged 17, from Westhoughton Sixth Form, added:
"It was really
interesting to find out what the players' interests were and be able to
practise speaking a foreign language."
BWFC Study
Centre manager Janet Rhodes said:
"We get a lot
of requests from schools for foreign players to come in and speak to the
class, so we thought we'd hold a big event and bring the schools to us.
We're hoping it will become an annual project."
For more
information about the work undertaken at the BWFC Study Centre please call
01204 66 99 11.
