Dyche and Cork go back to school for PE masterclass

The school in Church Street was hosting a Premier League Primary Stars programme with its Years 5 and 6 pupils, who had the pleasure of being coached by the premier pair in a variety of ball games.The EA Sports supported programme provides curriculum-linked teaching resources for schools with the goal of inspiring children to learn, be active and to develop important life skills.Headteacher Catherine Greenwood said: “Burnley Football Club’s community coaches have been coming in to school for a while now but it was great for the children to be taught by Sean Dyche and Jack Cork.“We’re really happy to be involved because the values it promotes represent many of our school values such as teamwork, resilience, fairness and respect.”

Representatives from sports video games giant EA SPORTS were also at the school to showcase its in-game motion capture technology, used in games such as FIFA and Madden NFL, which is now being used to support the Premier League in creating real-time PE resources that demonstrate vital PE skills.

Account director of EA SPORTS FIFA Partnerships Dan Holman said: “We know that EA SPORTS FIFA 18 is synonymous with a modern family household, so we’re pleased that we can use the power of the video game to positively influence children’s in-school learning and help them develop vital PE skills.

"We believe the materials we’ve developed, along with the other assets and incentives we’ve integrated, will help teachers and pupils get even more out of what’s a truly fantastic programme."

And the Burnley gaffer, who swapped Gawthorpe's training pitches for the St Peter's school hall, said: "I know that FIFA is a hugely popular video game so it makes perfect sense to use it as vehicle to engage kids around PE. By demonstrating exercises using in-game FIFA characters, you’re talking to them in a language they understand. It’s a brilliant idea."