The following article appeared in the Reading Midweek on Wednesday 3rd September 2008

Community football club is just grand!

by Alex Gore (agore@berksmedia.co.uk

A COMMUNITY-based football project has been given £1,000 by O2 following a prize draw, at the phone company's Football Funanza promotional evening.

Royals siblings Noel and Stephen Hunt presented the prize money to representatives from Woodley Hammers, a football development club that caters for under 7s to senior teams.

Woodley hammers development manager, Mick Joseph, said: "It's fantastic. This money will be used to buy equipment for our younger teams such as balls, bibs, cones and ball sacks.

"The team members I brought with me to the presentation has a great time and really enjoyed meeting the Hunt brothers. They were both great and signed mini-footballs for them all and took the time to talk to them about how the team was getting on.

"We are very grateful to O2 who have done a great job promoting this event. It was a great evening"

Staff from the O2 shop in Broad Street set up a promotional tent outside The Oracle and organised a table football tournament, a chance for people to play the new FIFA 2009 computer game and a showcase of football free-stylers including Jeremy Lynch from TV's Britain's Got Talent.

Stephen Hunt said: "It's a great event to support and we are both in good spirits.

"Reading is a town of great community spirit and events like this give us a chance to pay back the excellent support we have had over the last few years."

O2 spokeman Adam Lewis said: "With this event we are trying to bring together the community through a festival of football.

"The whole evening has gone really well and we are extremely pleased with the big crowds that we have been able to attract."