By, Anonymous
1 min read
Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong made good on his promise to Yavneh College pupils to publicise their Pennies With Purpose venture in memory of Holocaust victims.
Within 30 minutes of his visit to the Borehamwood school with fellow Gunner Marouane Chamakh to promote Arsenal's gap year programme, Frimpong had told his Twitter followers about the project, which has a £60,000 target for Shoah-related education. He also tweeted: "Got to come again [to Yavneh]."
The players did a 30-minute Q&A with pupils after a presentation from Arsenal in the Community about its gap year schemes.
Asked to name their heroes, Frimpong cited his mother and Chamakh chose Nelson Mandela. Frimpong, 21, who has already suffered three major injuries, said he did not dwell on misfortune, preferring to focus on returning to full fitness. The Moroccan Chamakh said playing for the Gunners had been a dream come true. While his childhood friends had supported Manchester United or Barcelona, it had always been Arsenal for him.
Arsenal in the Community's John Olaleye outlined opportunities for post-A-level students, including the chance to coach in Israel.
Head of community Alan Sefton said it was important to inform young Jews about an initiative encouraging "better relations between Jewish and Arab children using the power of football. I hope some of the students will feel inspired to apply to the programme."
Among the audience of year 12 pupils, Lewis Silver said that, putting his Tottenham allegiance aside, "it was brilliant to get an insight into the life of a professional footballer".