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Aparty of 25 youngsters - customers at independent stores - watched their Leicester City FC heroes being coached at the club training ground in the first phase of the new My Shop is Your Shop (MSYS) community football scheme.
Their retailer hosts and the youngsters hailed the trip to the training ground as a great success.
The MSYS initiative, sponsored by Walkers, links independent c-stores, newsagents and rural shops with their local professional league clubs for the first time in a formal promotional basis.
The objective is to use the widespread interest in the national game to encourage youngsters to recognise their local independent store as a community asset.
The Leicester City activity is a pilot that will enable MSYS to evaluate its effectiveness in promoting independent retailers as an essential focal point in the community. In addition to providing organised access to local professional clubs, the scheme encourages healthy eating, respect for the community and curbs on anti-social behaviour.
At Leicester City there will be free tickets for parties of youngsters to watch home games with their host independent retailers and five-a-side teams organised through the local shop with professional coaching.
The retailers involved in the first visit to the training ground included Raj Aggarwal, Londis flagship retailer, who is chairman of the retailers' committee handling the scheme - the Foxes Retailer Forum.
Other retailers who hosted their own parties of youngsters were Bharat Visani, Jag Kooner and Gurpreet Singh, all of whom run stores in Leicester.
Gareth Shelley, of IMA, was the co-ordinator for the event which LCFC coach Craig White described as a great success.
MSYS chairman Alan Toft helped to shepherd the youngsters around the training facility where the squad were being put through their paces in a ferocious no-holds-barred practice game.
He told ProWholesaler: "This visit was a great success thanks to the commitment and enthusiasm of the retailers and the club coaching staff. The youngsters were very excited and absorbed. They were all anxious to be included in the future five-a-side activity."
Retailer Raj Aggarwal said: "This scheme is a great credit to the MSYS campaign. It will bring more focus to our stores as a community asset which is just what we want."
He added that parents had praised the idea. "This is the kind of image we want as local stores - important to families," he said.
One of the youngsters, Joe Merrell, age 11, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to see the pro's train - thanks to Jag who runs our local Londis. I am a very keen Foxes supporter and I go to every home game with my gran, Barbara Merrell."
Aidan Kirk, aged ll, said: "I couldn't believe it - it was just so exciting seeing the poster in the shop window. I put my name down right away and told all my mates. This has been a fantastic morning for all of us."
Ashley Hookway, aged 12, said: "For our local shop to arrange this is fantastic. I never thought I would be able to see my heroes at Leicester City training. Thanks to everyone for a great morning."
Kirsty Lloyd, aged 11, plays in the back four for the Leicester Ladies under 12s. She said: "I'm crazy about Manchester United as well as Leicester City and it's really exciting to watch the players train at close quarters. I'm picking up a few tips for my own game and I'll be telling all my team mates."
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=== MSYS What's on for wholesalers ===
The My Shop Is Your Shop campaign is publishing a new series of guides for use in wholesalers' bulletins for retailers and adapting as posters for cash and carry depots.
The What's On guides will be updated as new information becomes available on activities leading up to and including National Independents' Week which opens on June 2.
Wholesalers can use the What's On as an A4 leaflet for distribution to their retailers.
The guides can be downloaded from the campaign website [http://www.myshopisyourshop.co.uk]
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