FITNESS experts at The Gym Group are utilising their partnership with Altrincham FC to ensure local youngsters get a kick out of the World Cup finals in Russia.

Football’s showpiece occasion began in Moscow last week, and by the time it finishes, children in the Altrincham area could be honing their ball skills in ever-growing numbers, thanks to an appeal by the work-out specialists for members to donate balls during the tournament.

The initiative is running throughout the country, and at local level, The Gym has teamed up once more with Alty by joining forces with the club’s community set-up, Altrincham Community Sports, to make certain the generosity of their members is put to best use.

Phillip Ravenscroft, manager of the Broadheath-based centre, forged close links with Alty after placing The Gym’s state-of-the-art facilities at the disposal of manager Phil Parkinson and his players earlier this year, and he explained the latest link-up.

He said: "It is something we are running nationally and regionally as a company, so it is quite a big enterprise. For the duration of the World Cup, we are urging people to bring footballs into whichever centre they use and donate them, so they can be given to a charity to be distributed or used as they see fit.

"We have chosen Altrincham Sports Community, because we know how much work they do at schools and with children in general in the area.

"The more balls that are donated, the more they can use them for coaching sessions at schools or distribute them to kids who wouldn’t otherwise have a ball of their own.

"We are promoting the scheme on our social media pages and in emails to members and there are posters all around the gym, so we are making people as aware of it as we possibly can.

"The hope is that members of the public who are not necessarily members of the club will get involved as well, and, as an incentive, we are offering a free one-day pass for The Gym for anyone who donates a ball. The World Cup runs for four weeks, and by the end of it, I'm hoping we’ll have hundreds of balls to pass on.

"It’s a great way of providing a benefit for youngsters in the area and of demonstrating the positive impact The Gym Group can have within the local community.’"