Wooliam canters to Wembley

MEET THE MASCOT: Fifa Under 20 World Cup mascot Wooliam will be at Wembley Park next Saturday for Central Football's demo day.PHOTO/FILE

THE official mascot for June's Fifa Under 20 World Cup in New Zealand will be cantering around Wembley Park next week to help promote the sport in Wanganui.

Central Football is holding the first of three "demo days" at the park next Saturday, March 28, for sessions with three age groups to find interested players and their families for season 2015.

Matthew Kilsby, Central's development officer for Wanganui, said the children at 5th-6th grade level, known as First Kicks, would get a taste of the code while he showed their parents what was involved on a typical Saturday morning at the park.

"It's not just about getting thrown on the field and playing 11 versus 11," he said.

"It's about falling in love with the game."

The following two demo days - April 4 and 19 - are during the Easter school holidays, so getting a strong turnout for the first event was very important, Kilsby said.

First Kicks children will register to take part, while the 7th-8th grade (Fun Football) and 9th-12th grade (Mini Football) are signed up for the sessions through their clubs.

The star on March 28 will be Wooliam, the black sheep who is the symbol for the Fifa U20 tournament, who will be joined by members of the tournament's sale team in handing out giveaways to promote the start of the world cup.

"[Wooliam] is really looking forward to making a special appearance at this event in Wanganui," said Theresa Cayley, Fifa U20's regional and marketing manager for New Plymouth.

"I am sure all the kids will enjoy having their photo taken with this fun-loving black sheep who they will see at the Fifa U-20 match days at Stadium Taranaki."

Kicking off on June 1, Queen's Birthday Monday, five pool games and one round of 16 match will be played in New Plymouth over 11 days, including two games involving leading title contender Brazil. In total, 24 teams will play in 52 matches across seven cities, being broadcast to more than 100 countries.

The First Kicks demo will be held from 10-11am next Saturday, followed by Fun and Mini Football from 11.30am-12.30pm.