There were heartwarming scenes in Liverpool as Mohamed Salah visited a local girls football team, helping coach and connect with the children.
Salah is one of the most recognisable faces in world football, yet he still finds time to go out of his way to light up the faces of young footballers on Merseyside.
On March 28, adidas linked up with Salah to surprise one of the girls teams from the south Liverpool community football club, Sefton Park Rangers.
At the Tiber Football Centre in Toxteth, Salah appeared from the sidelines at the Wildcats’ training session.
The Egyptian was there as a supportive teammate, providing guidance, words of encouragement and advice as they practised shooting drills.
Throughout the session, Salah brought to life adidas’ ‘Sidelines Essentials’ – showcasing the positive behaviours that people on the sidelines should adopt, which in turn could help encourage up to 20 million more athletes to play sport more regularly.
Speaking on the importance of positive support from the sidelines, Salah said:
“With any game of football, there is pressure to perform for your teammates, coach, fans and yourself, which is why it’s so important to have someone that believes in you.
“Encouragement is the key to unlocking potential. Support can come in many forms, and sometimes what may seem like a helpful gesture can in fact be the opposite, so it’s great to see adidas creating something so useful with their ‘Sidelines Essentials’.
“No matter the sport or the level, we all need positive support.”
It was a great message to spread and one that Molly Evans, a coach at Sefton Park Rangers, echoed.
“As a coach, the most important part of my role is to provide positive support to empower the next generation of players,” she said.
“Today was one of those days where this was brought to life in the best possible way. I have no doubt the support they received today will stay with them for a long time, and I truly hope everyone sees the value of adopting these positive sideline behaviours to help athletes channel their passion and inspire them to keep going.
“It’s so encouraging to see adidas understand the importance of this through their ‘Sidelines Essentials’, and for this to be brought to life today with a player who is a huge inspiration to these girls.”
