Football Fun Factory run by former Manchester United and West Ham star coming to Havant and Portchester

Staff sergeant Kieran Boyd of the Royal Army Physical Training Corps, who works as a physical trainer and football coach for the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, is opening two branches of the Football Fun Factory in Portchester and Havant this May. Children aged two to twelve can try the course for free with a three-week trial before signing up for regular lessons at £28 per month.

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Kieran, who has been serving in the army for 20 years, said: ‘The ethos of the Football Fun Factory is to provide incredible childhood experiences for boys and girls. We cater for two up until twelve-year-olds and have two different avenues you can go down. The best way to describe myself is that I’m a children’s entertainer with a football. The two sessions for two to five-year-olds are essentially inside a gym hall with an inflatable football pitch.’

‘The second stream - for five to twelve-year-olds - is football fun and development. Again, it’s based on a lot of fun and games. Local teams and local clubs put a lot of stress and time frames on kids to make the grade, especially parents and coaches. We take that element away and we just make it all fun. It's about creating a fun environment so kids can express themselves, make friends and have fun. I’m absolutely buzzing for it.’

Kieran said that part of the drive to establish the local courses is to give something back to his native Portsmouth.

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He added: ‘I’ve taken a lot from Portsmouth and gained a lot of experience in the army with coaching and fitness and stuff. To bring my experience and knowledge. I’ve played football all my life but have got to the point where my knees won’t handle it any more so transitioning across to that coaching role has been good for me.’

Football Fun Factory was established in 2017 and is run by founders James Cutting and Johnny Martin along with director and former Manchester United player Luke Chadwick. The company has a goal of bringing the sport ‘to the doorstep of children across the whole nation.’