By Martin Walker
Former England Under-21 midfielder Brian Atkinson is hoping for another international success this week when pupils from Greenfield School travel to Italy for a friendly sports festival.
The group of Under-16s, made up of footballers from Greenfield Community College, and dancers from The Academy at Shotton Hall, Peterlee, will travel to the Piedmont region, in the Provincia di Asti, on Tueday (April 17) to take part in the two-day event.
The two schools have been invited to take part as a result of European twinning links between the Provincia di Asti and County Durham.
The visit has been organised by Durham County Council’s International Relations team and is funded by a European grant and contributions from the pupils and their families.
During the festival the boys from Greenfield Community College – who also play for Newton Aycliffe’s football academy – will take on an Italian five-a-side team.
Former Aycliffe coach Atkinson, an ex-England youth international who also played for Sunderland and Darlington, is coaching the young footballers and will be accompanying them on the trip.
The dancers from The Academy at Shotton Hall will choreograph and perform a special routine with young French and Italian dancers at the festival’s closing event.
Brian Stobie, international officer at Durham County Council, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for the young people.
“As well as the experience of taking part in an international sporting event, they will get to meet and work with students from Italy, France, Hungary and Poland, develop their language skills and learn a little more about Italian culture.”
The students will return to County Durham on Friday (April 20).