Frank Lampard joined 11 young grassroots footballers online to celebrate the start of the second season of the Hyundai FC programme.
Hyundai FC is a joint project between Chelsea and our official automotive partner Hyundai, which last season saw more than 250 young players from grassroots football clubs benefit from Chelsea Foundation coaching.
In the second season, another 11 boys’ and girls’ teams, across Under-8s to Under-16s level and from all over the UK, will receive bespoke training sessions from Foundation coaches, unique footballing experiences throughout the season and support from their local Hyundai dealership. Many of the coaching sessions have already got under way in October, with the coaches visiting the Hyundai FC clubs as Covid restrictions allow.
To launch the second season of the programme, one lucky player from each of those clubs got to put the questions to Lampard in an exclusive virtual question-and-answer session hosted by Sky Sports presenter Laura Woods, covering a wide range of subjects such as our head coach’s dream seven-a-side team, which included the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldinho, and the toughest opponent he faced during his illustrious playing career.
‘I can’t believe how lucky I was to be chosen to represent Carnoustie Panmure in the Chelsea-Hyundai experience,’ said Nathan, one of the lucky youngsters putting the questions to Lampard. ‘I’m a Chelsea supporter, so it was amazing to get to ask Frank my question, especially as he has been such an iconic footballer.’
In addition to the Chelsea Foundation coaching, each of the 11 clubs on the Hyundai FC programme will receive a new Nike kit to wear this season in addition to a host of further exclusive footballing experiences.
Video highlights of the question-and-answer session with Lampard will also be shown on London’s iconic Piccadilly Lights on Friday 30 October, with Castle Colts FC player Lexi-Michaela and her family in attendance to see her appearance on the landmark's giant screen.
Through the partnership with Chelsea, Hyundai is constantly looking for new ways to put the fans first and support grassroots football opportunities through Hyundai FC. You can find out more here.
‘At Hyundai we are committed to supporting fans at all levels of the game – from the grassroots players, coaches and parents at the 11 Hyundai FC clubs to the elite level through sponsorship of Chelsea FC,’ said Ashley Andrew, managing director of Hyundai UK.
‘We have had incredible feedback from our Hyundai FC clubs involved in the launch of the second season of the programme and we look forward to offering them a fantastic range of further experiences as the season continues.’
Head of the Chelsea Foundation Simon Taylor added: ‘It is fantastic to kick off season two of the Hyundai FC programme. Last year, the programme was a huge success with over 200 players and coaches offered exclusive sessions to further their development.
‘We are excited to start another season and look forward to our coaching visits at the Hyundai FC clubs in the coming months.’