VIDEO: Kelly Smith on The FA Tesco Skills Programme

England forward Kelly Smith is delighted to front The FA Tesco Skills Programme.



Kelly Smith knows what it takes to get to the very top of the game - and now, with the help England midfielder Frank Lampard, she is giving children tips to learn how to improve their skills.

The England forward is fronting The FA Tesco Skills programme to encourage children aged 5-11 to get involved in the game and there is also a chance for 150 of them to win a coaching session with her and Frank.

The FA and Tesco have also launched a massive in-store Summer Ball giveaway to further help young footballers practice their basic skills. Anyone entering a Tesco store throughout the country can buy a bespoke FA Tesco Skills mini-football for just £2.50.

And Smith is very pleased to be fronting the campaign: "This is my second year being involved in this fantastic scheme and I would encourage all children to get involved and learn some new skills," she said.

"Frank and I are heading it up. I am obviously the female ambassador and I think it is really important that girls get involved and learn some skills and enjoy the game.

"To learn how to become comfortable with the ball at your feet is very important and getting touches on the ball is crucial at such a young age and you can do that with these little balls. It is all about learning with you friends and having fun."

Talking about the competition to win the training session, Smith added: "All you have to do is buy one of the balls from Tesco and type in the code into the website (www.thefa.com/Skills ) and then there will be a chance to win a training session with Frank and me.

"Also, if you log on you can use the code on the ball to unlock six skills that Frank and I have been doing and it will show you how to do them."

Smith was part of the England side that lost 3-0 to Germany in a friendly on Thursday, but despite the defeat the Arsenal striker remains confident they can win their remaining European Championship qualifiers.

She added: "It was an excellent preparation for the two games we have coming up in September, we play the Czech Republic and Spain, both away in our final Euro qualifiers in order to get to the Championships next year.

"We need four points to qualify, but we are looking for two wins so we can win the group.

"It was a tough game against Germany. We competed very well in the first half, but we went in 1-0 down. But we felt like we did very well. After 70 minutes our legs started to tire a bit. But it was very good preparation for the Czech Republic."