I wouldn’t be a Prem star without grassroots footie – The Sun’s campaign is vital, says Jarrod Bowen

ENGLAND footballer Jarrod Bowen is used to fearsome opponents, but he faced his toughest challenge yet when he had to charm Spurs fans at a local grassroots club.

The West Ham United ace, 26, joined Brent Cross Football Academy at a training session to celebrate the youth club bagging one of our incredible £1,000 grants.

England footballer Jarrod Bowen faced his biggest challenge yet when he had to charm Spurs fans at a local grassroots clubPaul Edwards - Commissioned by The Sun

The Prem star is supporting The Sun’s Footie For All campaign to support kids in the cost of living crisisGetty

The forward showed off his keepie-uppie skills and then took a go in goal to see if he could fend off the ferocious kicks of the North London youngsters.

Jarrod, 26, said: “I’ve had a couple of Tottenham Hotspur fans try to get in my way or sneak a kick, but it’s all good fun.

“Being here has brought back really good memories for me of being their age and having a chance to play with my friends.

“I remember the chaos on the pitch with everyone running for the ball and wanting to score, just like these guys.

“It’s amazing to see the smiles on their faces and how much they just love to be here.”

It took just a few minutes for the seven to ten-year-olds to combat their shyness and bombard the ace with questions about his career.

Jarrod revealed he would love West Ham to buy Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappé, if money was no object, and Lucas Paquetá is his favourite teammate.

Growing up in Herefordshire, Jarrod played for Leominster Town FC on its minors team before being scouted for professional football.

But the striker hasn’t forgotten his roots and regularly donates kit, equipment and more to his childhood club.

Jarrod was one of the first players to back our Footie For All campaign, launched earlier this year following shocking statistics that the cost-of-living crisis was forcing many young children to drop out of sports clubs.

We then launched our groundbreaking Footie For All Fund in partnership with Tesco Stronger Starts campaign, which provides healthy food and activities for children.

We invited grassroots football clubs that work with kids under the age of 18 to apply for one of the 150 £1,000 grants.

Jarrod, who has six-month-old twin daughters with his reality star girlfriend Dani Dyer, 27, said: “Without grassroots, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

“We can’t let kids see that dream die simply because Mum or Dad can’t afford to pay for the subs, kit, and travel.

“Football is for everyone, it’s massively important it stays that way.

“It’s more than just kicking a ball about, it’s building lifelong friendships, getting to do something you love and a chance to learn about healthy competition.”

Brent Cross Football Academy has put its £1,000 grant straight to work.

The team will fund free places to kids from disadvantaged backgrounds to ensure they don’t miss out on top-flight football training.

Head coach Jamie Kavanagh, 27, had noticed more parents were struggling to afford the cost of their child’s football fees.

He put out a call and other parents with spare cash donated to the academy.

He said: “The parents of the kids who get to play for free are hugely grateful.

“It allows them to focus on other things without the worry of their kids missing out on activities they enjoy and keep them active.

“In North London, there is a divide between the families when it comes to money.

“Having kids from different backgrounds is one of the biggest strengths of our club.

“The grant that The Sun and Tesco have given us means we can keep making sure there are free places available and give them kits to train in, so they don’t miss out.”

Nineteen children were picked by the club to have a special session with the England striker — and they wasted no time in showing him what they could do.

Korede Adewale, 9, showed off his goal scoring abilities with his rock-solid left foot and later joked that Jarrod looked 32 — six years older — leaving the striker in hysterics.

‘Fun and exciting’

With the other youths also desperate to show off their skills, Jarrod bravely offered to go in goal.

As multiple balls whizzed past his head and around his legs, he joked: “Well I regret this.”

When the ace, who played for Hull City for six years until 2020, was relieved of goalie duties, he added: “They are all good at striking the ball and hitting it hard. They’re all top at this.”

Tottenham Hotspurs fan Hugo Russell was impressed by Jarrod, admitting it was “fun and exciting” to play with a West Ham star.

The seven-year-old says the best part about the Brent Cross Football Academy is “seeing my friends”.

Nine-year-old twins Esra and Edie Parkinson reckon Jarrod toned down his skills on the pitch to give them an advantage.

Esra said: “I think he wanted it to be fun for us and didn’t want to show us up with his skills.

Edie contended: “I’d love to play Jarrod again. We would still win.”

While observing the girls hold their own against the boys on the pitch, Jarrod complimented Esra for her fancy footwork.

He could have a future career as a scout as the twins are currently at Arsenal’s Emerging Talent Centre, thanks in part to the encouragement from the academy’s head coaches Jamie and Antony Wardrop.

At the end of the training session, Jarrod signed a football for each of the kids to keep as a memento.

But one cheeky child couldn’t resist asking if he would “sign my bum” — which the ace politely declined.

The kids picked by the club wasted no time showing the England striker what they could doPaul Edwards - Commissioned by The Sun

Several of the young footballers left him in hystericsPaul Edwards - Commissioned by The Sun

Supplied

And here’s how you can get involved with our campaign[/caption]