Budding Spireite stars dazzled by the Johnstone’s Trophy

Chesterfield Junior Blues celebrate a Johnstone's Paint Trophy tour visit at Brookfields Community School before the Spireites' Wembley cup final on March 30.

The tour which started yesterday and continues today is capturing all the excitement surrounding Chesterfield FC and Peterborough United’s cup final, on Sunday, March 30, at Wembley.

One of its first visits was to the Junior Blues’ training ground at Brookfield Community School where JPT promotions team treated the youngsters to 50 free tickets to the big match.

Oliver Couch, Chairman of the Junior Blues said: “This is a fantastic gesture from Johnstone’s Paints. We’ll be there to support Chesterfield. It’ll be a great day out for some of our kids who might not otherwise have been able to go.”

The role of companies like Johnstone’s Paints in youth football is crucial.

Oliver added: “At the last World Cup, all but one of the England squad came through grassroots football clubs like the Junior Blues.

“Future England sides depend on vibrant grassroots clubs supported by sponsorship. You can see from the players shirts that local businesses are generously sponsoring our teams, but we need more help to reach more kids.

“This contribution by Johnstone’s Paints is a massive help to us.”

Fans will have the chance to meet players today and other representatives from their clubs, as well as having their picture taken with the coveted Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

Giveaways a-plenty will also be staged, with tickets for the Final, replica balls and Johnstone’s Paint goodies all up for grabs.

The first tour event was in Chesterfield on Wednesday, March 19, at The Range, on Lordsmill Street, before the fun moved on to the Johnstone’s Decorating Centre at the Vanguard Trading Estate.

On Thursday, March 20, the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy team will make an early appearance on Peak FM’s Breakfast Show from 8am before they hit the streets of Chesterfield to take in local efforts to ‘paint the town blue’ in the build up to the Spireites big day at Wembley.

The fun and giveaways then move to the Market Hall, where Chesterfield players will join the crowds at the event being staged between 3pm and 5pm.

If anyone would like to help sponsor the Chesterfield Junior Blues FC they can get in touch with Oliver Couch at [email protected].

Chesterfield Junior Blues has nearly a hundred players, boys and girls, in nine teams from under 7s to under 14s, drawn from all over Chesterfield and north east Derbyshire. Next season they celebrate their tenth season as an independent club having been formed three years earlier as part of Chesterfield Football Club’s football in the community project. The Club has been awarded the FA’s Charter Standard Development status and the plaque was presented to them at the Chesterfield v Portsmouth match on 3 March. They are only the tenth club to be awarded this status in Derbyshire.