THURSDAY sees the culmination of the football season for scores of young footballers from the county - boys and girls - who have been enjoying a special coaching centre set up and run by Worcestershire FA's Development Officer Andy Norman in conjunction with University College Worcester.

The WFA has been one of the country's pioneers in the introduction of electric wheelchair football and the competition at the festival is the first in the Midlands region.

The Football Festival will take place using UCW's excellent sports facilities with wheelchair footballers using the magnificent sports centre and the others utilising the sports grounds around the venue.

Twenty-seven teams from 12 schools in the county will be descending on the campus in search of prizes, in a range of competitions for youngsters with a range of learning difficulties or disabilities. The Coaching Centre has seen everyone involved winning - the youngsters have had an outlet for their skills and many have achieved far more than they may have thought possible. The WFA has been able to spread the good news of football across a wide range of young people that may otherwise un-fairly have been excluded from playing the game. And UCW students have been able to take their module in coaching disabled performers in their sports degree courses, getting real 'hands on' experience of working with and motivating disabled youngsters.

The Festival begins at 10.30am and finishes around 2pm.

Schools participating are: Manor Park (Worcester), Rigby Hall (Bromsgrove), Pitcheroak (Redditch), Vale of Evesham (Evesham), Stourminster (Kidderminster), Thornton House (Worcester), Chadsgrove (Bromsgrove), Rose Hill (Worcester), Wilson Stuart (Birmingham), Round Oak (Leamington) and Pennhall (Wolverhampton).