CHELSEA FOUNDATION HOSTS FOOTBALL COACHING IN GHANA

Chelsea FC Foundation coaches have been offering their football expertise in Ghana to children from the Michael Essien Foundation in conjunction with a Samsung initiative this week.

Coaching sessions are being held by the Chelsea FC Foundation at the Lizzy Sports Complex in Accra, the nation's capital, during a time when football is a talking point across the continent as the African Cup of Nations gears up in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

The programme is part of series of coaching sessions the Chelsea FC Foundation will be delivering in many locations across the globe. FA-qualified Chelsea Foundation coaches will train 180 children aged between nine and 11 over two days in Accra before moving on to host sessions in Ivory Coast later in the week.

A number of participants have joined the sessions from the Michael Essien Foundation. It's the not the first time the Chelsea FC Foundation has worked with Essien's own charity. In 2010 the two organisations joined to help open a water bore hole and public toilets in his home town of Awutu Breku.

Chelsea midfielder and Ghanaian international Michael Essien said: 'I know how committed our Foundation coaches are having worked with them for many years. I've seen at first hand how good they are at getting kids to enjoy their football and how well the young people respond.

'To have our Chelsea coaches visit Ghana again and involve children from the Michael Essien Foundation demonstrates the Foundation's commitment to use football to get kids healthy, motivated and enjoying their sport throughout the world.'

Participants of the coaching sessions will be split into groups to develop their skills and techniques in a fun environment. Each group will be named after a Chelsea player and rotate across three coaching sessions, which each cover different areas of the game. The sessions will offer a positive experience and a fantastic introduction to grassroots football.

Once the sessions are over, participants and their parents will also be invited to watch a presentation on Chelsea Football Club by one of the Foundation coaches. They'll learn all about the club's history and its structure, as well as the ethos behind Chelsea's style of play.