WALES manager Chris Coleman was in Newport yesterday to celebrate a ground-breaking football initiative at Dragon Park.

He was joined by secondary school children to showcase the Lidl Play More Football programme, launched by the Football Association of Wales and the Welsh Football Trust, in conjunction with the supermarket outlet.

The partnership is aiming to engage with around 30,000 children, with peer-led secondary school sessions and weekly primary school activities part of the scheme's primary objectives. Encouraging greater participation in the sport among girls is also high on the agenda.

Former Premier League player Coleman said it was the perfect time to roll out the scheme with interest in the national team higher than ever thanks to qualification for Euro 2016.

He said: “It’s fantastic that Lidl, the FA of Wales and the Welsh Assembly Trust have recognised the unique opportunity we have to grow football in Wales.

“The programme can capitalise on our nation’s excitement to engage more young to participate in football, through both leading sessions and playing.”

The former Fulham manager also believes that children coaching each other is one of the most important things about the scheme.

“I think it’s nice to see kids coaching children, I think it a real big step forward,” he added.

“It’s not easy you know. I can sit down with players that are very strong characters, and at one-to-one are very good at telling you what we should or shouldn’t be doing, but once they’re on the pitch surrounded by 16 other players and have to coach and get their point across, they can’t do it, because it’s actually quite difficult."

Head of growth for the Welsh Football Trust Jamie Clewer said that the emphasis of the initiative is on encouraging responsibility among youngsters.

“What research has told us is that young people want to organise their own activities and they want to take their own responsibility," he said.

"We want to give young people is leadership skills, and they can transfer that into higher and further education and hopefully employability as well with the responsibility to do so.”

Local schools that will take part in phase one of the initiative include Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni in Blackwood.