Olivier Giroud and David Ospina visited St Mark’s School in Islington on Monday to lead a football session for the students on the school’s new astroturf pitch.
The St Mark’s School pitch was refurbished with the support of the Arsenal Foundation in 2013 and is now home to a number of Arsenal in the Community projects.
Football sessions for boys and girls are held there each week, along with regular hockey lessons. The Arsenal Double Club - a football and education programme which teaches a range of subjects combined with football coaching - also runs holiday and weekend programmes from the school.
The Arsenal Foundation has helped to upgrade a total of 13 pitches across Islington, Camden and Hackney since 2008, with the Arsenal in the Community team now running sessions across each site.
Giroud and Ospina’s visit comes ahead of the Gunners’ annual charity matchday on Saturday - against Newcastle United - when the players will donate a day’s wages to the Arsenal Foundation.
Giroud said: “We are proud to take part in this kind of project and to support the Arsenal Foundation.
"We can see that the Foundation has helped to provide these children with a fantastic new pitch, where they will have the opportunity to play football, try different sports and enjoy their time with their friends. That is a very special thing.”
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