White's visit is a special treat (From Gazette)

White's visit is a special treat

6:51am Monday 9th June 2008 in Youth football

Football-mad youngsters were handed a special treat when Colchester United defender John White paid a surprise visit to their soccer session.

U's full-back White answered questions, posed for photographs and signed autographs at the Colchester United Community Sports Trust (CUCST) event, which was held at Shrub End.

Boys and girls aged between seven and 12 have been taking part in the weekly football sessions, which are aimed at young footballers with disabilities.

The hour-long sessions are broken down into categories, with each consisting of a ten-minute warm-up, 20 minutes of skills training, 25 minutes of fun matches and a five-minute cool down.

White said: "The young people looked to have so much fun and it was great to see.

"It would be great to see more young people join in."

CUCST also has a men's team, which is funded by the Essex Football Association.

The ability counts' team play in the Eastern Region League against the likes of Norwich City, Ipswich Town, Watford, Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Cambridge Regional College.