ENGLAND COMING TO TAMESIDE STADIUM
On Sunday 27 April at Curzon Ashton FC (1pm kick-off), England will take on reigning European champions Holland in a friendly international, and the following day, the club will host the Euro 2008 draw, to be made by a current England international and The FA's Sir Trevor Brooking.
England's squad contains a high number of semi-pro players and are captained by former Spurs trainee Ronnie Watson who recently had a day's training with Oldham Athletic's first team. Ronnie spent six years with the North London side, playing alongside Ledley King, Peter Crouch and Jonny Jackson.
Goals meanwhile will be expected from the likes of Bertie Brayley. Brayley this season has been playing for Chelmsford City who have been crowned champions of the Ryman Premier League. Nine years ago in 1999, Bertie was scoring in the FA Youth Cup Final in the same side as Joe Cole and Michael Carrick in a 9-0 aggregate win over Coventry City, who featured Chris Kirkland in their goal.
Head Coach Alan Gillett has worked with the likes of Dave Bassett, Dario Gradi and Peter Shilton in a long coaching career which has also seen him manage in Japan's J-League, and manage the national sides of Malawi and The Solomon Islands.
The European Championship draw on Monday 28 April will take place at Curzon Ashton FC at 2.30pm, as the eight competing nations find out their fate.
Children from local special schools from across Greater Manchester will be playing after the draw, Sir Trevor and the England international on hand to pass on their expertise, as part of the tournament's Legacy programme.
In the build-up to the tournament, a roadshow organised by Manchester FA and Cheshire FA [supported by The Regard Partnership, Reside Housing Association and Mencap] will run for three weeks across mainstream and special schools, with player appearances, coaching sessions and education workshops all helping to raise awareness of the European Championship.
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England, France, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Portugal, Hungary and Poland will be drawn into two groups of four, with England's first group game to be played at Sport City on Sunday 20 July. Hyde United, Curzon Ashton, Springhill (Rochdale) and Stalybridge Celtic will also host fixtures during the tournament.
The FA now fund seven national disability sides, and as part of the long term development of the sport, have committed to hosting a major tournament once a year, leading up to the 2012 Olympics.
In September, players from the England Cerebral Palsy and Blind squads will represent Great Britain in the Paralympics in Beijing