Inspired by the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, weekly sports coaching sessions at a Portishead nursery have focused on football.

A series of mini-football tournaments have created excitement among preschool children at The Nursery, in Combe Road, after they showed an interest in coverage of the Euro 2020 contest, which kicked off on June 11 and runs until July 11.

The Nursery owner, Jackie Hardie, said: “The children are very much aware of all the sport on TV at the moment, especially the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, and this has led to many discussions about football at The Nursery.

North Somerset Times: A series of mini-football tournaments have created excitement among preschool children at The Nursery in Portishead.A series of mini-football tournaments have created excitement among preschool children at The Nursery in Portishead. (Image: Tracey Fowler)

"We hold weekly sports coaching sessions led by gym clubs and with football being a hot topic among the children."

Twenty-four countries entered the Euro 2020 competition, which was put back a year to 2021 because of coronavirus, and the learning opportunities inspired by the sport go beyond the football field at The Nursery.

Jackie added: “We are now learning about the flags and cultures of the countries involved and have been learning words and songs in Russian and Italian from members of staff at The Nursery.”