James Bailey and Steven Jennings back the Ticket for Schools successfful scheme...
James Bailey and Steven Jennings were at the heart of Coventry City’s midfield for much of this season and the pair were together again for a school visit to celebrate a successful scheme.
Bailey and Jennings went to St. Osburg’s Catholic Primary School as a reward to children and staff who took part in the club’s Tickets for Schools scheme.
The scheme has been running for four years and this season was one of the most successful yet with more than 2,000 people attending thanks to a discounted ticket offer of just £28 for a family of four.
The programme is run by the club with a group of volunteers and aims to attract more local schoolchildren to watch the Sky Blues in a bid to make them the club’s supporters of the future.
Schools from across Coventry, Nuneaton, Bedworth, Leamington and Rugby have taken part and as well as attending matches, other incentives are offered such as a parade around the pitch, photos with Sky Blue Sam and, for some, the chance to act as a guard of honour or shirt shakers before games.
Many schools who have taken part have also been visited by Coventry City players over the past four seasons, who have met the children and answered their questions, signed autographs and have taken part in sporting activities.
Bailey and Jennings took questions from the pupils at St. Osburg’s before teaching the school’s football team a series of football tricks.
Coventry City ticketing manager Dan Walker said: “Tickets for Schools has been a fantastic success for the club and it’s only right that all the volunteers that help to make it happen should get a great deal of the credit.
“This season we nominated six fixtures to be Tickets for Schools matches and they all proved to be very popular with our schools across Coventry and Warwickshire.
“Over the course of the season that has led to 2,038 people attending matches through the scheme and has seen several school visits carried out by our players.
“Those visits help to cement the great relationship we have developed with the schools because the pupils absolutely love to meet the players they have seen performing on the pitch.”