Sponsored by
Soccer legend Pele lines up date with tiny Yorkshire club
Andrew Robinson THE man regarded as the world's greatest ever footballer, Pele, is heading to a tiny Yorkshire football ground that is being renamed in his honour.
The visit by the legendary Brazilian in February is the latest coup for the owner of non-league Leeds team Garforth Town, Simon Clifford, who has many contacts in South American football through his soccer schools.
Garforth Town, with its 3,000-capacity ground, is a world away from the venues that Pele, pictured left, graced as a player.
Mr Clifford said: "There isn't a single ground named after Pele in Europe, and we're really pleased to be able to change that.
"With any luck we'll also have time to take him out to a local school
"Everywhere he goes he is mobbed. I'm sure it will be no different when he comes to Garforth."
The Garforth ground's official name will be Estadio Edson Arantes do Nascimento – after the player's full name – but it will probably be known simply as "the Pele", said Mr Clifford.
The three-time World Cup winner is the latest and greatest in a long line of high-profile Brazilians to lend their support to Northern Counties East League outfit Garforth in recent times.
Socrates was lured out of retirement for a loan spell at Town in 2004, while his fellow countryman Carlos Alberto is due to spend a week there next month.
Coaching guru Luiz Felipe Scolari – boss of England's World Cup quarter-final opponents Portugal - has also pledged to take a session with Garforth's first-team this summer.
Mr Clifford made many contacts while building up his chain of soccer schools.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Three-inch blanket of snow heading our way today
- Alan Shearer in list of favourites for Leeds and England jobs: Latest odds
- Barnsley’s Keith Hill invokes Fawlty Towers over link with Leeds job
- McCormack feels United search can be narrowed down
- Redfearn throws down gauntlet as queue builds at Elland Road
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
