Coach is nominated

Sep 12 2008 by Barry Ellams, Chester Chronicle

A BLACON football coach has been nominated for The Scottish Power/Trinity Mirror Cheshire Awards.

Chris Piercy, has been nominated under the Sport category.

He coaches around 30 kids from around Blacon and Chester every week and teaches basic to advanced football skills.

Chris has already received wide acclaim for using his football coaching on Saxon Road playing fields to get children off the streets and engaged in positive community oriented activity.

Chris Piercy was also the proud winner of a government Respect Award in 2006 and a Community Award in 2005.

Chris who works as a chef at Telford’s devotes his own money to the project and is arranging a city wide soccer tournament in March 2009 with 58 teams made up of Year 11 pupils.

Paul D’Ambrogo, Saughall Road, Blacon who nominated Chris for the award, said: “I am nominating him for the outstanding work he does for young children and teenagers in the Blacon community including arranging and organising football tournaments and football coaching

He added: “All of the work that he does is voluntary and he does not get the recognition for it.”

Chris who was delighted to be nominated believes it is important that people try and work with youngsters and understand them rather than be critical and quick to judge.”

He said: “The youngsters say there is nothing for them to do so I wanted to get them playing football and enjoy it. It’s what’s it’s all about the grass roots of football.

He added: “There a lot of people in this community who have told me that they are proud of what we are doing