Manchester City and England footballer Demi Stokes in surprise Manchester school visit ahead of Women’s Euros

Manchester City and England Women star Demi Stokes made a surprise visit to a Manchester school as part of the run-up to England hosting the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 tournament this summer.

The Lionesses defender dropped in virtually to Charlestown Community Primary School to help youngsters with football-themed lessons.

The surprise was part of the launch of the schools programme which runs alongside the continent’s finest female footballers coming to England to battle it out for European silverware.

The event took place as two of the nine host towns and cities for the tournament are in Greater Manchester.

Why did Manchester school pupils get a surprise visit from Demi Stokes?

The idea of having star England internationals visit schools was part of the launch of a programme for educational facilities, with Stokes dropping in to the Blackley school and her fellow Lionesses defender Leah Williamson surprising pupils in Milton Keynes.

The UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 schools programme aims to inspire and unite schools and communities to grow the women’s game and gives teachers # access to a digital pack full of free resources for different aspects of the curriculum all themed around the tournament.

The pupils at Charlestown, aged between nine and 11, were excited to meet the Manchester City star, who helped them crack some of the challenges such as designing a kit, preparing a half time team talk and researching some of the icons of the game before answering their questions about the upcoming tournament.

What did Demi Stokes say about the surprise visit?

Stokes said: “It was great to surprise the school kids and host a class all about the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022.

“It’s important they’re able to learn more about women’s football and be inspired to take part in this massive tournament in some way.

“Many of us players discovered our love for football at school, so we know first-hand what an important role teachers play when it comes to instilling a passion for the game and developing the skills we need.

“We’d love as many pupils and schools as possible to enjoy the UEFA Women’s Euro this summer, especially since this year it’s on home soil. The Schools Programme is packed full of resources to inspire pupils in the lead-up to the tournament and beyond.

“The opening match is in their home town of Manchester and I know their school has a group booking of tickets for it, so I hope we make it an incredible experience for them all!”

What is Greater Manchester’s involvement in the tournament?

UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 kicks off in the city with a bang as the hosts open the tournament with a clash against Austria at Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground on 6 July, for which a bumper crowd is expected.

A number of other games in the group stages are taking place at the Academy Stadium where Manchester City Women play their home games and at the Leigh Sports Village (LSV), the home of the Manchester United women’s team.

Three games are being held at the Academy Stadium: Belgium vs Iceland on 10 July, Italy vs Iceland on 14 July and Italy vs Belgium on 18 July.

The LSV is hosting Russia against Switzerland on 9 July, the Netherlands against Russia on 13 July, Sweden vs Russia on 17 July and one of the quarter finals on 22 July.

The tournament runs from 6 July to 31 July with 16 teams battling it out to lift the trophy which was last won by the Netherlands on home soil in 2017.

Large bookings for groups such as schools are available on the official ticketing website until 8 February. Anyone wanting to attend matches can also sign up for an account ahead of the remaining tickets going on sale in spring.