A CARLISLE woman has been praised for giving up her free time to coach a junior football team.
25-year-old Darcy Cannon, who works as a customer services assistant at the Brampton branch of The Cumberland, gives up her free time to coach seven and eight-year-olds at Gillford Park FC in Carlisle each week.
Her involvement began when she saw an appeal on social media and decided to volunteer as a coach.
She said: "I played football a lot when I was younger and just over four years ago, I saw an advert on Twitter for football coaches in the area.
"I explained I had not coached before but had played a lot and that I enjoyed working with children.
"The children come from many different schools and so there are many friendships that have developed purely through the love of football.
"It's so rewarding to watch them socialise with each other and it will be a huge benefit to them especially when they go to secondary school, and they have a wide network of mates."
Barry Ridley, manager of The Cumberland’s branches in Brampton, Longtown, Haltwhistle, and Gretna, said: "It takes a special person to dedicate so much of their free time to give something back to the local community.
"We are very lucky to have someone as compassionate as Darcy as part of The Cumberland family."
Zac is eight and has been working with Darcy since he was four years old and loves coming to training sessions with her.
He said: "My favourite part of training is trying to hit the crossbar and scoring goals. Darcy has taught me how to dribble and pass and how to get into a space and scan the area around me.
"I love playing in matches and seeing all my friends as they don’t go to my school."
Darcy also assists with the Wildcats initiative which encourages girls aged 5-11 to play football.
She said: "There has been renewed interest since the Lionesses win last year and we have created six teams from this scheme which is great.
"It's not just about the game either, it's about having fun, making friends, socialising and learning a new skill set."
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