England football manager Gareth Southgate surprised students at a Camden school with a futsal skills masterclass.

Southgate visited the Torriano Primary School in Kentish Town to launch the 2022 Pokémon Futsal programme.

Successfully launched in 2021, the programme is part of the government-led Schools Games initiative, which aims to deliver competitive school sport to all young people.

During the session, Southgate and a collection of leading FA coaches took the students through a series of games lifted from the Pokémon Futsal resources for 2022.

Speaking on the event, Southgate said: “I am delighted to visit Torriano Primary School to celebrate their efforts with Pokémon Futsal and support the launch of the new school resources for 2022.

“I’ve worked a lot in youth football and know how important futsal can be as a pathway for developing a young person’s football skills and confidence before they transition to the 11-a-side format.

“The new resources created by Pokémon and the FA will make futsal fun and engaging as well as offering a great opportunity to build confidence through small-sided games.

“I would encourage as many schools as possible to visit Mastertheball.com and learn more about Pokémon Futsal.”