By Reading XL FC Chairman & First Team Manager - Chris Broadhurst.
As a passionate football fan, there's something special about witnessing legends of the game passing on their wisdom to the next generation - or in our case, the older more overweight generation ;) For Reading FC fans, having Dave Kitson and James Harper take your training session would be the perfect example of that, and thanks to our Community Partnership with Dave Kitson Coaching, that's exactly what transpired at The Wren recently, as both "Royals" Legends paid us a visit to put the "XLFC" lads through their paces.
A Legendary Training Session for Reading XL FC:
Dave's visits always create a buzz among the lads, which is great to see and having watched him myself for years on a host of highlights shows, it's easy to figure out why.
Some of our players grew up watching Kitson destroy defenders and score goals for fun in the famous Royals Hoops, so having him as a partner for a little fat bloke football team is real privilege. Throw a second Reading legend in the mix too, it was always going to bring a few more of the lads out from their sofas to grace the pitch at The Wren!
So, as far as the first session we've had with James Harper goes, we can confirm he's still got it! [We're trying to convince him to pack on a few pounds and join us on the pitch soon!]
Always an impressive Centre-Mid - "Harps" took charge of the session with the same passion he exuded on the pitch and the XLFC squad loved every minute of it!
A Touch of Class from one of Reading FC's all time greats:
The session focused on a mixture of passing and pressing, with positional awareness and communication also key talking points. Harper's passing when involved was also something special to see, as he can still ping a ball with the best of them. Dave had this to say when asked for his thoughts during the session:
"We've watched the club grow and become really successful ... it's got to a point where it's got a second team which is fantastic, so it's really working and growing and when that happens, it's really pleasing and makes it worthwhile .. and you can see here how much the guys enjoy it and what it means to them, how much they listen and want to get better - even in-spite of Harps coaching" - Dave Kitson
Kitson bringing the banter too ;)
After another successful session, we're excited to welcome both Dave and James back to training again on the 16th October, as we continue to push the Reading XL FC team forward and improve their fitness and positional awareness, to take into upcoming fixtures and eventually overseas, for our international friendly against the small Micronesian nation of Nauru; where Dave takes up his appointment as their first ever National Team Manager soon.
Much more to come from this fantastic Community Partnership with Dave Kitson Coaching. For more information or to book a session with Dave or James, please click on the button below to visit the website and find out more and use code "XLFC" for a cheeky discount:
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