Town's young French duo Loick Ayina and Brahima Diarra visits Foundation during EFL Week of Action
- Brahima Diarra and Loick Ayina visit Town’s Foundation
- Visited Premier League Kicks SEND and Women & Girls’ session
- Part of the English Football League’s (EFL) Week of Action
Town players Loick Ayina and Brahima Diarra visited two of the Huddersfield Town Foundation’s Premier League Kicks sessions on Thursday night as part of the EFL’s Week of Action.
With sessions covering numerous wards of Kirklees, Ayina and Diarra attended the SEND and Women & Girls’ sessions at Leeds Road Sports Complex, which takes place on a Thursday at 5-6pm and 6-7pm, respectively.
Diarra and Ayina started the session with questions and answers and signed autographs before they cheered on participants as they played football, taking time to offer advice and chat with the young people.
The second part of their visit also started with some excellent questions before Diarra and Ayina managed a team of their own in a fun but competitive friendly match.
The Town duo engaged with participants brilliantly, acting as great role models for the young people.
Town defender Ayina stated:
“It was amazing. The kids and the girls were amazing, and I enjoyed my night.
“They were all smiling, so I think the impact was very good.”
Town midfielder Diarra added:
“It was very good. The kids were very happy and playing with them was good. When I was a kid, I wanted pro players to play with me, so it was a pleasure for us to come.
“Maybe they will believe in their dreams more now after talking to them and they told us about wanting to be professionals.
“I was against him [Loick] and to be honest, my team was better than his!”
The Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Siobhan Atkinson commented:
“It’s fantastic to see the players attending two of our sessions – I think it brings that bit of magic for the young people. It shows the young people that our football players care about what goes on in the community in the Kirklees.
“They were able to ask questions and hear about the similar journeys and challenges they have faced, and the players really shared that message of real dedication, resilience, and confidence.
“The EFL’s Week of Action is a great example to not only highlight the amazing work that the Foundation does but the rest of the 71 Clubs up and down the country.”
To find out more about these sessions or the work that Town’s Official Charity does, please email help@htafcfoundation.com or visit htafcfoundation.com.
