CHILDREN met two professional footballers yesterday as part of a summer school project.

The 37 youngsters, aged 11 and 12, visited Middlesbrough's Rockcliffe Park Training Ground, Hurworth, to watch the footballers train.

They also interviewed two of the mid-fielders, Jonathan Greening and Mark Wilson, and asked a number of prepared questions about football.

Carole Lowrie, head of chemistry at Hummersknott School and Language College, has coordinated the two-week project, which aims to teach children literacy, numeracy, communication and ICT skills under the title, Business and The Media in Football.

The children, from Branksome Comprehensive, Carmel RC Technology College, Hummersknott, and Hurworth Comprehensive School have already been involved in a wide range of activities.

In the first week of the project they visited the Middlesbrough Football Club Willie Maddren Centre for a mini-enterprise project.

For the rest of this week, they will visit the Boro TV studios and be shown how they make the Middlesbrough Football Club programmes.

They will also spend time at Carmel College producing a display of their work and preparing for an open evening there at 6.30pm on Friday. Director of the Middlesbrough club's football community project and former International football referee, George Courtney, will be the guest speaker.