Share your favourite football memory and see what Mumsnetters thought of McDonald’s Community Football days- £300 voucher prize draw!NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

This thread is for the Mumsnetters who attended one of McDonald’s Community Football days.

Here’s what McDonald’s says, “This summer we’re giving over 7,000 children the chance to take part in a Community Football event, with seven events across the UK and we can’t wait for some Mumsnetters and their families to join us. We’ve supported grassroots football for over 13 years and want to give as many young people as possible the chance to enjoy the beautiful game.”

Attendees, please answer the questions below.

Q1. Which McDonald’s Community Football day did you attend? Who did you bring with you?

Q2. What was your overall impression of the day?

Q3. Please describe to other Mumsnetters what the day involved.

Q4. What did your DCs think of the day? What was their favourite bit?

Q5. What was your DCs favourite goal celebration as part of the #celebratebetter campaign which was present at the event?

Q6. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend friends and/or family to attend a McDonald’s Community Football day if they had had children of a similar age? If so, why? If not, why not?

Everyone who adds their feedback will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 John Lewis voucher!

Non-attendees: We’d like you to share your favourite football related memory, whether this was watching a particular football match, running into a famous player or a certain match you played in yourself. Everyone who shares a football memory on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £300 John Lewis voucher and one Mumsnetter will win a McDonald’s football training pack (including footballs, bibs and cones).

Thanks

MNHQ

[TheyGotTheMustardOut]

My favourite football memory is playing in a school tournament when I was 13 or so. During the first game one of the girls on another team from a different school got stepped on by one of our players. It was a nasty injury and the girl from our team apologised and was met with, 'I'm not a doll, I won't break!'

The other team was very rough for the remainder of the game, presumably as payback for injuring one of their players, but we managed a win. And then we won all our other games in the tournament.

Our victory was sweeter because that first team was just nasty.

[Shiraznowplease]

My favourite football memory is Swansea City getting promotion to the premiership. I have been a lifelong and happily remember hours spent at the Vetch field with my dad. All of Swansea seemed to be at Wembley and the icing on the cake wAs that I discovered I was pregnant that morning.

[purplepandas]

Eating a football cake that my Mum made after my sister sat on it. Does that count? It's about as football as we get in our house. It did not go well with my Mum, she was not happy!

[ButterflyOfFreedom]

Non tester

Favourite football memory - going to Wembley with my Dad to watch our beloved team win promotion to the Premier League!
Was such a fab day out - great atmosphere, the sun was shining, banter on the coach whilst travelling, was actually a decent match, and of course smiles on round on the result!

[Whyisitsodifficult]

My favourite football memory is when my 8 year old son finally scored his first goal! He had been playing for months and was slowly improving but by no means one of the best players, he was getting a bit disillusioned by his lack of goals. Then finally he did it, he was so shocked and I cried! Get emotional just thinking about it!

[Eva50]

My favourite football memory was taking PFB (then 4, now 19) to his first football session. He had no idea what to do. He kept picking up the ball, getting in everyone's way and eventually scored a goal - in the wrong goalpost. He was so pleased with himself. We were mortified at the time but how we have teased him laughed at the memory over the years.

[tooneedyme]

I used to go with my Dad to the local Sports Centre as he ran a football league. I loved taking in the money, it was my own little shop. I would even go get a cup of tea,I was 6!

[Anononooo]

Non-tester. My favourite memory is watching my older football obsessed brother playing footie in our back garden. He would be both teams while also roaring out audience cheers and providing a running commentary!

[LavenderLeigh]

Jan Tomaszewski's brilliant performance against England in a 1974 World Cup qualifier. We were so excited as we knew him!!
It was sweet revenge after Brian Clough and the British press had labelled him "the clown".
I think this is the only football match I've ever watched.

[RhinosAreFatUnicorns]

My memory is my first football match - a testimonial - Everton v Rangers. Ally McCoist came on the pitch. I whooped as I knew who he was and quite liked him. Cue being dragged into my seat by my then boyfriend as we were sat in the Everton stand

[hermancakedestroyer]

Attendees, please answer the questions below.

Q1. Which McDonald’s Community Football day did you attend? Who did you bring with you?

I attended the East Molesey, Surrey McDonald's community football day with my dh, my 12 yo DD and my 10yo DS.

Q2. What was your overall impression of the day?
In a nutshell - we loved it! Great day celebrating all things football!

Q3. Please describe to other Mumsnetters what the day involved.
Where to start?...when we arrived there was a mini tournament going on with children of various ages and all girl teams as well as all boy teams. Alongside this there was a 'speed shoot' activity which recorded the speed of your shot into the goal and displayed it on a screen all to see. There was a free face painting station with a talented lady painting football team badges on your face or arm. There was also a knee sliding area which was a long slippery strip of plastic which was regularly sprayed with water and which children ran up to and did a knee slide along to different markers. There was also a bouncy castle with a goal at the back of it which children aimed shots at and the keeper was able to make some impressive dives to stop the ball going in.
There was a corner display in front of which children did their best celebration and parents could take photos and upload them to win great money can't buy prizes.
On top of all of this we had the opportunity to meet and greet McDonald's ambassadors who for our football day were Sir Geoff Hurst, Scott Minto (former Chelsea player) and Colin Murray from talkSPORT. They were all friendly and enthusiastic and made sure all the children were having a great day. They also did a q and a session for the children.

Q4. What did your DCs think of the day? What was their favourite bit?
They also loved it. DDs favourite bit was the speed kick feature and getting to meet former footballers and DS' was the knee slide!
They also mentioned how friendly and kind the other helpers at the event were including Sesh from Surrey FA and Neil and Mike from McDonald's.

Q5. What was your DCs favourite goal celebration as part of the #celebratebetter campaign which was present at the event? Please see photos below!


Q6. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend friends and/or family to attend a McDonald’s Community Football day if they had had children of a similar age? If so, why? If not, why not?
Definitely! We loved it all. Speaking to Geoff Hurst and hearing him championing women's football was a particular highlight for me. It was a well organised, fun filled football activity day and I would highly recommend it to others with similar aged children.

A big thank you to Mumsnet, the FA and McDonald's for the opportunity.

[CopperPan]

Non attendee

I still remember Gazza's tears in 1990 in the World Cup semi final. I was a young impressionable girl and my heart went out to him when I saw it on TV

[confusedofengland]

Attendee here!

Q1. Which McDonald’s Community Football day did you attend? Who did you bring with you? I attended the day in Bromley along with DH, 6-year old DS1, 4-year old DS2 & 1 -year old DS3. DS1 was the one signed up for the event but the organisers were happy to let the other DSes join in anything they wanted to.

Q2. What was your overall impression of the day? I thought it was a great fun day with lots of activities for DC interested in football or to get them interested in football in a fun way. It's a great idea, especially in some areas where people might not be able to play football very easily through lack of money, space or facilities.

Q3. Please describe to other Mumsnetters what the day involved.

It was a bit like a fete with lots of footballing activities & games for DC. There were lots of mini matches going on between local youth teams which you could watch, there was a pitch where some FA people were giving the DC tips on various techniques, there was the celebration corner which had a board showing different ways to celebrate goals & an area to practice knee slides on a wet strip of plastic & also a corner flag around which DC were encouraged to make up celebrations as if they had scored a goal (eg by using it as a guitar). There was also a pitch with inflatable sides & goals where some matches were played & a bouncy castle with a goal where one of the footballers took some penalties against the DC - DS1 was thrilled because he saved a goal shot by a proper footballer (Casey Stoney) There was also face painting.

In addition, we had 2 big footballing names at the day - Martin Keown who played for England, Arsenal & Leicester City among other teams (which DS1 was thrilled about as he supports Leicester ) & Casey Stoney who played for Arsenal Ladies & the women's England team. They were both more than happy to chat to DS1 (& DH!) & give him some tips & even signed a football for him The Community Shield trophy was also there & we had our photo with it, which was very exciting.

Q4. What did your DCs think of the day? What was their favourite bit?

DS1, who the day was for, really enjoyed it. His favourite bit was having a photo with the Community Shield & also saving a shot against Casey Stoney. The others enjoyed the day to an extent, but it did get a bit difficult to keep them happy, so perhaps one or two things for younger siblings that have to tag along could be a good idea?

Q5. What was your DCs favourite goal celebration as part of the #celebratebetter campaign which was present at the event? DS1 liked the knee sliding best & had lots of turns!

Q6. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend friends and/or family to attend a McDonald’s Community Football day if they had had children of a similar age? If so, why? If not, why not? I would & have recommended the day to people. It's a great way to make football fun & accessible to the masses.

I've attached a couple of photos, one of DS1 receiving his signed ball from Martin Keown & another of DS1 on the bouncy castle goal

[OnMyShoulders]

We are going on Saturday and really looking forward to it. Can anyone who's been please tell me if we will break for lunch or do we need to bring a packed lunch with us?

[confusedofengland]

Shoulders the event we attended was a morning thing & I believe due to be finished by 1pm. We left at about 12.30pm as the DC were tired & we took a packed lunch with us. I would also recommend taking plenty to drink as they run around a lot. Enjoy

[MichelleMumsnet]

For those of you in Wales who would like to attend one of McDonald's Community Football days, you can still sign up to attend here

[throwingpebbles]

non attendee my favourite football memory is just all the times playing football in the garden or the park with my boy. I did football classes as a girl and love that I am now able to teach him tricks and skills

[FeelingSmurfy]

Favourite memory is going with my dad to get the pink echo (Liverpool newspaper, pink echo was football edition) when Liverpool had won

[OnMyShoulders]

Not a good review from me I'm afraid. I hate leaving negative feedback but I have nothing good to say about this - sorry.

Q1. Which McDonald’s Community Football day did you attend? Who did you bring with you?

We attended the event in Glasgow today. With me was DH and our 5 DC (DD 13, DD 11, DS 8, DS 6 and DD 2).

Q2. What was your overall impression of the day?

Awful. We were all so excited and looking forward to the day. After an early start and more than an hour driving to get there, we left after just half an hour. It appeared to be nothing more than a poorly organised, low budget fundraiser for the club that plays there.

Q3. Please describe to other Mumsnetters what the day involved.

The event was not as described at all. On arrival, there were a few 'host' type people standing at the entrance but there were no actual organisers getting involved with any of the activities. As a result, the 3 small footballing activities were just completely monopolised by the kids that played in the club. There were no opportunities for my DC to get involved. There was a small bouncy castle and inflatable slide and a very small fairground type ride. The DC asked to go on and we queued, only to find that these were all chargeable and would cost us £30 for less than 15 minutes collectively. We found the Mumsnet/McDonald's host and explained that we hadn't realised that we would have to pay for all the activities and that there was actually nothing for them to take part in so we were going to have to head home . We asked if the DC could please have the football equipment pack they were promised but she had no idea what we were talking about. The kids left crying. The 'ambassadors' were also not there whilst we were.

Q4. What did your DCs think of the day? What was their favourite bit?

They were incredibly disappointed and cried when we left.

Q5. What was your DCs favourite goal celebration as part of the #celebratebetter campaign which was present at the event?

N/A

Q6. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend friends and/or family to attend a McDonald’s Community Football day if they had had children of a similar age? If so, why? If not, why not?

Definitely not. In addition to my other comments, there was no parking available, no visible toilets and the only food and drinks available to buy were expensive fizzy drinks and sweets being sold by local stallholders cashing in, even though this was meant to be an all day event. Goodness knows how you would have kept kids entertained all day there as we'd walked round the whole thing in about 5 minutes. I noticed that another family who arrived just in front of us also left just before we did.

[MangoDaiquiri]

My favourite memory was going to the park when I was little with my mum to watch my dad play Sunday league football. There would always be lots of different matches going on and it was a great family activity.

[Maiyakat]

Non tester.

Favourite football memory - beating our (much more famous) local rivals on their home turf. We got kept in for ages at the final whistle for our own safety - we didn't mind . I got home very late, then got up at 5am to go to a uni interview hundreds of miles away (surprisingly enough they didn't offer me a place!)

[Theimpossiblegirl]

Non-attendee
I'm not really a fan of football but did my duty and accompanied DH and the DDs to their first big match. I must admit we had an amazing time! The atmosphere was amazing and the people were much friendlier and a lot more child friendly than I had expected. I admit, my preconceived ideas were wrong and we'll be going again.

[FlipWreck]

Attendee here.

Q1. Which McDonald’s Community Football day did you attend? Who did you bring with you?

I attended the day at Gartcairn Football Academy with my DS and DP.

Q2. What was your overall impression of the day?

Very very good. It was well organised, everyone we spoke to was extremely enthusiastic and encouraging, and the McDonald’s and SFA reps, especially Nial, were a delight!

Q3. Please describe to other Mumsnetters what the day involved.

Fun activities around football – inflatables, including bubble football, which DS loved, mini games, some well known reps from the sport and plenty of opportunities to try activities in a fun way, with no pressure. Stuart McCall was there and Ann-Helen Grahm, the Assistant Coach for the Scotland Women’s Team, and DS got to meet and have his photo taken with them. They also held a Q&A, and were more than happy to meet and speak to everyone, have their photos taken, etc. I thought Ann-Helen especially was great, very enthusiastic and inspiring about the women’s game.

Q4. What did your DCs think of the day? What was their favourite bit?

DS really enjoyed himself – “I didn’t think it was going to be so much fun!” His favourite bits were getting his pic taken with Stuart McCall and playing on the knee slider.

Q5. What was your DCs favourite goal celebration as part of the #celebratebetter campaign which was present at the event?

The knee slider – we couldn’t get him off it!

Q6. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend friends and/or family to attend a McDonald’s Community Football day if they had had children of a similar age? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, definitely. It was well organised, with lots to do and good fun. I’m delighted that as a direct result DS wants to start playing organised football again. I just need to find a club now!

[NoisyOyster]

Non attendee

My Favourite football memory was from when I was three and playing football with one of those cheapie inflatable balls, with my dad on the beach.

In a fit of "I'm gazza", he kicked my ball so far out to sea, the tide grabbed it and pulled it too far out to retrieve. I was so sad and cried all the way home

The next day, as if by magic, a fairy my guilty father put a brand new proper leather football at the bottom of my bed for when I woke up

Loved the game ever since

[Supervet]

onmyshoulders that's got me worried as the Welsh one we applied for is at a football club and I too was worrying it would be monopolized by them.

I was hoping it was just press , mumsnet and other family website attendees to stop this but obviously not. Can you pm or email HQ and see if they can at least sort your football packs.