FOOTBALL loving Blackpool schoolchildren are being given a chance to get behind the Seasiders - by staying in school.
For three years the football club has supported schemes to encourage attendance at primary schools in the borough with '100 per cent attendance parties.'
Now the club is extending the scheme, offering every child who is seven this academic year a free football shirt and two tickets to see a game at Bloomfield Road.
Those who then achieve 100 per cent attendance at school all year will be able to attend a fun-filled party attended by their favourite Seasiders stars.
Cllr Ivan Taylor, the council's portfolio holder for lifelong and children's services, said: "Every year this event is providing an incentive to more and more children to attend school every day when there is such a fun reward at the end.
"We appreciate Blackpool Football Club's generosity and I'm sure the offer of free shirts and tickets will encourage youngsters to have loyalty to their local team.
"This year we are hoping to recruit even more schools to the scheme. The reward scheme is having such a positive impact on the attendance of children across the town."
Karl Oyston, chairman of Blackpool Football Club, said: "We want to encourage as many youngsters as possible to become interested in football and support to their local team.
"We have discovered that children become interested in football and other sports around the age of seven so we decided that was the most appropriate year to offer the free shirts to.
"We are keen to have an active role in the community and if we can play a part in encouraging pupils to attend school every day then we will."
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