After guiding the club to another Guinness Premiership title last season the pair will be focusing on the next campaign, which kicks-off three days later at Northampton Saints. Both men have given excellent service to the club over the years, lifting countless trophies and establishing themselves as Tigers all-time greats.

Richard has enjoyed great success in his two spells at Welford Road both as a player and a coach. He also gained 27 international caps for England and played at the 1999 World Cup. Still a regular in the Ireland squad and a two-time Heineken Cup Winner, Geordan is about to start his 14th season in Tigers colours.

On Thursday September 2nd, stylish Leicester venue, The City Rooms, based on Hotel Street will be hosting ‘An Evening with the Champions’ which features both Tigers legends.

Cockers and Geordie will be talking about their careers for club and country, what it’s like to play for and manage one of Europe’s biggest sides and will reveal all the hard work and great banter that goes on behind the scenes.

Organised by Legends UK, an events company run by former Leicester City captain Steve Walsh, the event starts from 7pm and will also feature former Leicestershire cricketer Charles Dagnall as Master of Ceremonies.

Daggers will cover a whole host of topics, but guests will also have the opportunity to grill the Tigers stars with questions of their own. A two course meal will be provided and the night will also feature a special auction of top end sporting memorabilia. The dress code for the evening is lounge suits.

Steve Walsh, who will be overseeing the event, is looking forward to the night.

“These two guys are genuine Leicester legends and have given great service to Tigers over the years. They’re both top blokes and great characters and I’m sure the night will provide excellent insight into one of the country’s finest sports clubs as well as plenty of banter and amusing anecdotes. Tables are booking up fast so get in touch soon to make sure you don’t miss out.”

Tickers are on sale now, priced at £37.50 + VAT per person. For more information visit www.legendsuk.com. To book call 0116 202 9663 or email steve@legendsuk.com.

We need another striker to add more cover and to give the manager more attacking options, but top centre forwards are hard to come by. Young Slovenian trialist, Leon Crncic, could be a good addition, but whether he’s ready to make an impact on the Championship remains to be seen.

Steve Howard finished last season well and the sending off against Watford aside, he produced some of the best displays I’ve seen from him in a City shirt. He was particularly impressive in the play-off semi-final second leg at Cardiff when his strength, power and ability to link-up play made him a great outlet for the team. If he can rediscover that form then this could be his season.

Another striker in a rich vein of form is resurrection man, DJ Campbell, who has managed five goals in five pre-season fixtures and seems to be enjoying himself at Leicester City following Paulo Sousa’s arrival. The new manager seems to fancy him and the lad has taken his chance. If DJ can keep banging them in I’m sure the fans will get behind him. He’s 28, so should be at his peak and has good experience of this division. He’s like a lower league version of a young Andrew Cole in that he takes up some great positions and always looks dangerous, but usually needs a few good chances to score. The way things are shaping up it’ll be DJ and Howard starting the season as the front two and Fryatt will have his work cut out to get into the team.

We’re all waiting to see what happens with the potential new investors and whether there will be money available for Paulo to strengthen the team. The club seems to be on hold at the moment and I imagine that the manager can’t do too much until those funds are in place. We can all make assumptions and speculate about new signings, but it’s looking like we’ll be going with the players we have now.

Most of the starting line-up is pretty solid but ideally, I’d like to see a right-back, centre back, a strong and pacey holding midfielder and another striker brought in. The worry now is that it would take any new signings a while to settle in. Realistically it’ll be loan deals and with Premier League clubs having to trim their squads to 25 for the start of the season, it should give Championship sides a great opportunity to bring in some top young talent. The big teams will have some really handy players that won’t even be registered to play and I’m sure Paulo will have his eye on that.

I’ve had my scouting hat on and looked through a few of the big boys’ squads for potential loan signings. In an ideal world here are four names I’d be looking at…

Right-back – Kyle Walker (Spurs)
Centre-back – Craig Cathcart (Manchester United)
Holding Midfield – Abdisalam Ibrahim (Man City)
Striker – Joshua King (Manchester United)

I think we need additions to add depth to the squad, I don’t think many people would disagree with that. We have still got a decent team but we’ve lost players like Wayne Brown, Jay Spearing and Martyn Waghorn and they haven’t been replaced yet. I think it would give the supporters and the players a bit of a lift if Sousa brought a few new faces in. I’m sure there will be some movement; it’s just a case of being patient.

I’m looking forward to seeing how City are going to play under Sousa and how well they can adapt to his favoured passing style. It looks as though things are beginning to click going forward but I’d have a few concerns at the other end with the lads yet to keep a clean sheet during pre-season.

Saturday’s friendly against Sunderland at the Walkers Stadium will be a big test as Steve Bruce’s teams are always pretty hard to break down. The Black Cats possess some impressive attacking talent in Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones, and I rate holding midfielder Lee Catermole too. The City players should be a little ahead of their Premier League opponents in terms of fitness as they kick-off their campaign a week earlier, so that could make a difference.

I’m hoping to see Martyn Waghorn back at club at the weekend, but sadly it looks as though it will only be for the one game, with Bruce unwilling to send Waggy back out on loan. I think he’s playing a bit of a game because he wants the money for him. As highly as I rate Waggy, I think the Premier League is a big step up for him at this stage of his career and another season in the Championship would do him good. There aren’t many clubs in the division that could afford a permanent move for him. I’d imagine he’d cost about £2m and City just won’t spend that kind of money, unless those new investors stump up the cash of course!

Sousa will have his own ideas on who he wants to bring in on loan and permanently. The new gaffer isn’t saying much about potential transfer targets at the moment and has said he’ll only talk about players once he’s signed them… the way it’s going he might not end up doing too much talking this summer!

I played against Sunderland gaffer Steve Bruce a few times for Wigan when he was at Gillingham. Like me he was quite raw back then and enjoyed getting stuck in on the ground and in the air. He went on to have a great career at Manchester United of course, but I managed to keep my nose looking half-human so it’s swings and roundabouts!

From WBA to DBA…

I saw Joe Mattock last week at the Dunton Basset Arms and he was in good form. I asked him how things were going at West Brom and he said, “Chelsea first game of the season,” which sums it up I suppose. Joe’s done well to be fair to him. It’s such a shame that we couldn’t join him in the top flight.

Donkey Derby

No, I’m not talking about Robbie Savage signing on at Derby for another season! I’d like to wish my mate Filbert Fox all the best in next week’s Mascot Race at Southwell Racecourse. I hope he’s been in pre-season training with the lads in preparation. I’d advise him to swap those giant shoes for a pair of trainers though!

An Evening with the Champions

Tickets are still available for my ‘Evening with the Champions’ rugby Q&A night coming up in September. Tigers Director of Rugby Richard Cockerill and club captain Geordan Murphy will be appearing at the City Rooms in Leicester on Thursday September 2nd from 7pm. A two course meal will be provided and Charlie Dagnall is MC for the night. Tickets cost £37.50 + VAT per person. Cockers and Geordie are great value and I’m sure it’s going to be a cracking night. For more information visit www.legendsuk.com or to book contact steve@legendsuk.com.

Steve Walsh Blog in association with:

Walking past the BBC Big Screen, as I said in my first blog, acts as a constant reminder of the amount still to be done. The most important being to find the 2,012 Community Reporters I want to recruit and train over the next two years and equipping them with the simple skills that allow them to capture their experiences, and the experiences of those around them.

So, this week I want to talk about the Community News Cafe we’ve set up at Kona Blue Coffees, in the Highcross Shopping Centre. This relationship, with this local independent retailer, has enabled us to use a fantastic location that is fully accessible every Tuesday. Initially there was the morning slot from 9.30am-10.30am but demand was so great for a session after normal office hours, that the evening time of 6pm-7.30pm was made available.

I’ll be setting a theme for these evening sessions to coincide with events or celebrations taking place locally and so far include Older Persons Month (September), Black History Month (October), Local Democracy Week (October) and of course my Community Media Week (8-13th November).

The sessions are meant to be informal and relaxed, with the chance to find out answers to the questions you really want to ask.

The Leicester Mercury’s Laura Elvin has already dropped by and BBC Radio Leicester’s Dave Thompson should be in soon. This demonstrates to me the important role that Community Reporters play in the collection of locally generated news that has a natural home on Citizens’ Eye. Here, it is viewed by people looking to find out about their local community and is easily identified by professional reporters and journalists, enabling developing stories to be followed up.

So, if you find yourself at a loose end on a Tuesday morning or evening, why not drop by and see how you can get involved? I’m already planning a Community News Cafe tour, so local community groups and individuals can request a visit from our Community Reporters and they will be left with a toolkit containing posters and flyers so they can continue to run the meetings themselves and begin to send content into us. On top of all the excitement of the Community News Cafe adding an evening session, this week also saw my first ever First Person column in the Leicester Mercury. It took me about ten seconds to decide the first topic. It had to be the Big Society and the role Citizens’ Eye can play in it, alongside our partners at the Leicester Mercury. Helping to give people a voice. It is easy to write ‘At the heart of all things local’ on your building. It’s as easy as saying “I love you” or “I’m alright.” We don’t always mean things we say but I think the first one is true. Citizens’ Eye focuses on local communities in the city and county only.

If you’re part of a group or an individual of faith or no faith, from a demographic group or geographic area, then Citizens’ Eye is there for you. The new partnership with the Leicester Mercury ensures greater reach into our communities both online and in print and the Wave young people’s newspaper has certainly paved the way for other sections of society to follow.

I’ve often said that community cohesion is easy and I still believe that. It’s about communication. When you engage with people from other communities, as I do on a daily basis, you begin to realise all of us have the same issues, needs and wants. Even dreams. Sport is still a great bridge builder bringing people together.

So whether it’s the Olympics, Paralympics, the Commonwealth Games, Sky Ride or our three teams of rugby, football and cricket players, the power to engage people is real.

For me, it’s about what the Games represent as the Olympic values, not just the sport. I’m very lucky to have been asked to run the media centre at the Phoenix for Sky Ride Leicester on August 29th. There are nine other cities taking part over the summer and Sky actually offers up Leicester as the model for delivery – the ‘Leicester Effect’ they call it. Is that in fact Community Cohesion? I’ll let you decide.

Sorry nearly forgot…729 days to go. Add a further 730 days if you’re following me to Glasgow!

John Coster Blog in association with:

The team are cycling from Sheffield to London raising money to help them compete at the 2012 Olympics in London. Their journey through Leicestershire saw them follow the route of this years Sky Ride, that links Watermead to the City Centre.

They stopped at The White Horse Pub in Birstall to hand over collection buckets to landlord Jim Foy. White Horse customers will be able to donate to the cause over the next two weeks.

The team then cycled through Watermead, one of the starting points for this year’s Sky Ride, and on towards the City Centre, stopping for lunch and a photo with Leicester City legend Alan Birchenall MBE in the Town Hall Square.

Team GB’s Jo Paxton, a teacher at Harry Carlton School in Loughborough, came up with the idea of the bike ride and explained the motivation behind it.

“We wanted to do something that was symbolic of our journey from Sheffield, where the team are based, to the volleyball venue for the 2012 Olympics in London.

“The sponsored bike ride fit the bill, as cycling is a great way to keep fit as well as raising money and we are getting unbelievable support along the way.”

Paxton’s teammate, Jenn Taylor from Shepshed, is a member of the squad and receives individual support from the Shepshed Building Society which enables her to commute to Sheffield in order to play and train with the rest of the team.

Lesley Pendleton, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport at Leicestershire County Council, said: “We are delighted to have welcomed the team to the county this week as they travelled from Loughborough to Leicester and beyond.

“Watermead Country Park has a number of new paths and cycle friendly bridges, and if you live in the area is a fantastic place where to start the Sky Ride from on August 29th.”

Donations to the team’s 2012 bid can be made in person at the White Horse, Birstall until Sunday August 8th, or on the team’s web site at www.gbwomensvolleyball.co.uk.

To find out more about Sky Ride Leicester 2010 visit www.leics.gov.uk/cycling.

The club will visit a new area each day, with Birstall Park and Home Farm in Beaumont Leys the venues for tomorrow and then Moat Community Centre, Victoria Park and Armadale Drive in Netherhall later in the week. Riders coaches will provide an introduction into the fundamental skills of basketball, making great use of the outdoor facilities available to young people in the county.

The sessions are free of charge, and any child who attends at least 75% of them will receive a free t-shirt and free entry to the culmination of the summer’s coaching; a 3 on 3 tournament which begins in August.

Leicester Riders General Manager, Russell Levenston, explained the theory behind the sessions.

“The summer months are an important time for us in terms of our community outreach work and having provided coaching in over two hundred schools across the city and county, we are looking forward to continuing to develop our grass roots programme by providing top quality coaching to children in Leicestershire.

“This is a great opportunity to make use of the outdoor facilities available, and an ideal way for children to stay active in their school holidays. It will also enhance skills such as team work, social skills with the added benefit of spotting exceptional talent. We have tried to make the coaching sessions as accessible as possible, with a wide variety of locations.”

The coaching sessions will run at a different location each week day, from 10am – 5pm with one hour being designated to each age group respectively.

The schedule is as follows:

Mondays:

Aylestone Recreation Ground.
10am-11am Under 12′s    11am-12pm Under 15′s    12pm-1:00pm 16-18′s

Elston Field
2pm-3pm Under 12′s    3pm-4pm Under 15′s    4pm-5pm 16-18′s

Tuesdays:

Ryder Road, Kirby Frith
2pm-3pm Under 12′s    3pm-4pm Under 15′s    4pm-5pm 16-18′s

Wednesdays:

Birstall Park
10am-11am Under 12′s    11am-12pm Under 15′s    12pm-1:00pm 16-18′s

Home Farm, Beaumont Leys
2pm-3pm Under 12′s    3pm-4pm Under 15′s    4pm-5pm 16-18′s

Thursdays:

Moat Community Centre
10am-11am Under 12′s    11am-12pm Under 15′s    12pm-1:00pm 16-18′s

Victoria Park
2pm-3pm Under 12′s    3pm-4pm Under 15′s    4pm-5pm 16-18′s

Fridays:

Armadale Drive, Netherhall
2pm-3pm Under 12′s    3pm-4pm Under 15′s    4pm-5pm 16-18′s

For more information please call 0116 2558635 or e-mail at info@leicesterriders.co.uk

If you repeatedly exercise in the same way, at the same intensity your muscles switch to auto pilot. Unfortunately, then, the principle of diminishing returns will apply and you end up getting fewer results from your efforts.

By changing the type of exercise as well as the intensity, your fitness will progress faster and you will burn more calories. So get ready to jump-start your routine with a heart-thumping, calorie–pumping plyometric work out that is guaranteed to improve your performance on the field of play, whatever your chosen sport.

Also known as jump training, plyometrics involve stretching the muscles prior to contracting them. This type of training, when used safely and effectively, strengthens muscles and decreases impact forces on the joints. Plyometrics mimic the motions used in sports such as skiing, tennis and volleyball. If you enjoy dodging moguls, chasing down ground strokes or charging the net, plyometrics might be an appropriate training option as these exercises are designed to increase muscular power and explosiveness. As this type of training is so intensive, it results in high calorie expenditure and is also valuable in weight management.

The Eastern Europeans first used Plyometrics in the 1970’s to develop greater strength and power in their Olympic athletes. They based their programmes on scientific evidence proving that stretching muscles prior to contracting them recruits the stretch reflex of muscle to enhance the power of the second jump. This pre-stretching of muscles occurs when you perform jumps one after the other. For example, when you land from a jump the quadriceps muscles at the front of your thigh stretch, as your knee bends and then quickly contract with the next leap. This pre-stretch enhances the power of the second jump.

A safe and effective plyometric programme stresses quality, not quantity of jumps. Safe landing techniques, such as landing from toe to heel from a vertical jump and using the entire foot as a rocker to dissipate landing forces over a greater surface area, are important to reduce impact forces. In addition, visualisation cues, such as picturing yourself landing as light as a feather and recoiling like a spring after impact promote low-impact landings. When landing, avoid excessive side-to-side motion at the knee. Landing forces can be absorbed through the knee musculature (quadriceps, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius or calf muscle) more effectively when the knee is bending primarily in only one plane of motion.

In addition to jumping-based drills, used to develop power in the legs, you can use explosive exercises to target the upper body also.

LOWER BODY

Squat jumps
Stand with feet shoulder width apart, trunk flexed forward slightly with back in a neutral position. Arms should be in the ready position with elbows flexed at approximately 90˚. Lower your body to a point where your thighs are parallel to the floor and immediately explode upwards vertically and drive your arms up. Do not hold a squat position before jumping up. Keep the time between dipping down and jumping up to minimum. Land on both feet, with your weight evenly distributed.
Progression – Jump up onto a step, landing softly on both feet. Walk down and repeat, do not jump down as this carries a significant injury risk.

Power Lunge
Assume lunge position, one foot about a stride length in front of the other, rear foot resting on the ball. Your feet should be apart not on a tight rope for better balance. Head is lifted and back is braced in a neutral position, by pulling your abdominals in tight. Lower the body by bending at the hips and knees until your front thigh is parallel to floor then immediately explode vertically. Switch feet in the air so that the back foot lands forward and vice versa.
Progression – Change direction in the air, by 90 degrees so working your way around an imaginary clock-face, starting at 12 and landing at 3,6, 9. Remember to also travel anti-clockwise for balance.

Lateral Jump
In this exercise, you’ll jump back and forth laterally over a line. Start on the right of the line, standing in an athletic position with your knees bent, leaning forward slightly at the hips, on the balls of your feet. Jump off both feet pulling your knees up towards your chest landing in a balance position on the left side of the line. Quickly absorb the landing by bending your knees and softening, then explode back over the line, landing back on the right side where you started.
Progression – Add a small hurdle, increasing the jump height and therefore the intensity.

Lateral power lunge
Stand with your right foot on the floor adjacent to a step and your left foot on top. Push off the step or bench using the left leg only and explode vertically as high as possible. Drive the arms forward and up for maximum height. Land with the right foot on the step or bench and left foot on the ground to the other side of the step, immediately bending at the knees to absorb the impact. Repeat from this side.
Progression – Increase the distance travelled laterally by turning the step so your leap must traverse the length of the step rather than across the width.

UPPER BODY

Power Push-up
Start in a regular press-up position with your hands placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees resting on the floor. Descend towards the floor, and then press forcefully upward with your arms just before your body touches the ground. Continue driving up from the floor until your hands leave the ground and your upper body is airborne. Cushion the landing by bending your elbows and descend again, then quickly press up again to begin the next repetition.
Progression – Only when you are confident you have correct form, move on to a full press-up position, with just the feet resting on the floor.

Lateral pass
Stand approximately 1 meter from a wall with feet apart, place left foot a short distance in front of the right foot. Hold a weighted ball down in front of you, with both hands, arms slightly bent. Swing the ball over to the right hip and forcefully underhand toss it across your body to the wall. Keep your stomach drawn in to maximise proper usage of the core muscles, so protecting the lower spine. Catch the ball on the bounce from the wall and repeat. Don’t forget to change sides.
Progression – Start by standing a little further away from the wall.

Ball Press
Lie on your back on a mat, with feet flat and knees bent in a position that leaves your lower back feeling comfortable. Now brace this position by contracting through the oblique muscles at the waist and lifting the pelvic floor. Hold a weighted ball, just above the chest, in both hands. Extend the arms, pushing the ball directly up towards the ceiling in a powerful motion. On catching the ball, immediately lower it to the chest to begin the next repetition.
Progression – Once you are comfortable with the technique, try a heavier ball.

GUIDELINES

Unlike the traditional body sculpting workouts that focus on slow, controlled isolation exercises, plyometrics centre on more explosive, full-body movements that are great for burning huge amounts of calories as well as toning all the major muscles in the body, including the deeper core muscles.

Aim for 12 repetitions of each of the exercises, resting for around 30 seconds between different exercises.

Do not perform this workout on consecutive days as the muscles will need time to recover and refuel.

The keys to plyometrics are explosive movements that end in cushioned landings. Therefore, concentration is needed throughout the whole exercise, not simply the primary or pushing phase but also particularly the recoil.

The plan is laid out specifically to accommodate the most taxing exercises first of all, when you have the most energy and then becoming less demanding as you gradually tire. For this reason it’s important to adhere to the order of exercises, as attempting a tough combination of upper and lower body at the end of your workout may increase your risk of injury.

Always warm-up first with some gentle movements to mobilise the joints and begin to increase the body’s core temperature. Try marching on the spot building to a jog, toe points increasing to knee lifts and small wrist rotations growing to full arm circles.

Suitable footwear, with good cushioning and lateral support, is strongly advised. Remember the focus is on quality not quantity to so only use the target/repetitions as a guideline.

Concentrate on soft landings by flexing joints. As a rule of thumb, the quieter you are, the better your technique, so the better your results will be.

Do not perform this workout on consecutive days as the muscles will need time to recover from the powerful exertions, during which time they will begin to change shape.

Ensure you are well hydrated before and during the workout.

Dean has previously written articles for the likes of The Times, FHM, GQ and Men’s Health and been employed as a consultant to Nike, David Lloyd Leisure and Reebok. Dean is now based at award-winning Ragdale Hall spa. For more information, please visit www.deanhodgkin.com

City players, management and staff got to know Harley, who had a rare and very aggressive form of leukaemia called Burkitt lymphoma, in September 2009.

The young City fan remained remarkably cheerful despite regular treatment and his family nicknamed him ‘Happy Harley’. A mascot for the Blackpool game, Harley also trained and had lunch with the players at the training ground, and became an inspiration to everybody at the club.

After Harley lost his brave fight against the illness in November, the Staples family set up the Harley Staples Fund to raise money for the children and families on Leicester Royal Infirmary’s Ward 27, and any child with a potentially life threatening illness.

All the money Andrew has raised and will continue to raise will go towards a caravan for ‘Happy Harley’s Holiday Homes’, a site in Cromer where families in a similar situation to Harley’s can spend some quality time away completely free of charge.

Speaking exclusively to Soar Magazine ahead of his climb, Andrew paid tribute to Harley’s family.

“They’re a lovely, lovely family, not just Harley’s mum and dad, but the whole family. They’re fully supportive of my challenge. The fund itself maybe gives them something else to occupy their minds, and gives them a bit a motivation during what must be a very, very difficult time.

“The more money I can raise the better. It’s not a football club thing but you can use the powers of football to help to raise money.”

Anybody wanting to sponsor Andrew or donate to the cause can still do so by visiting www.harleystaples.co.uk.

See below for photographs of Andrew’s charity trek…

City have played three games in quick succession since Paulo Sousa took over and the start of the season is pretty close. I’m glad we’ve got a manager in who’s had time with the players. After last year’s success it would’ve been criminal if we weren’t properly prepared for this season.

It seems that City will be playing a more patient, passing style under Paulo, which will be interesting. You can’t play football all the time though, especially in the Championship and I’m sure Sousa has learned that during his time in England.

Milan Mandaric obviously wants his team to play attractive football and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s served up at the Walkers next season. We’ve got some very good footballers with Richie Wellens, Paul Gallagher and Andy King all sound passers, possessing the vision to create something. If Sousa can add a few signings we might just see the style of play that Milan craves. We’ve got characters in the squad who have proved that they can battle as well, so there’s a good balance.

You will have seen from my recent former manager blogs that I played under a few different gaffers during my time at City. Sometimes it can take weeks and months for them to impose their style. As players, you just have to knuckle down, play your own game and hope he likes you. If you can get on with him then it’s great, some people won’t and there will be players you don’t expect suddenly becoming part of the new manager’s plans. That seems to be happening with DJ Campbell at the moment but you can’t argue with his form.

It’s all about gelling with the new manager and understanding exactly what he wants from you. You’ll find players that have been out of the picture trying to suck up and curry favour in training. Everybody starts at the same level but you’ve got to believe in your own ability and play under whoever’s in charge.

Training will be very competitive at the moment because all the lads have got a point to prove. It’ll be interesting to see who has managed to stamp their authority early doors and made themselves part of Sousa’s plans.

I talked about DJ’s chances of getting back into the mix last time so this week I’ll focus on Yann Kermorgant’s future. He’s bound to be involved in the friendlies as the manager assesses the whole squad, but I just see it coming to an abrupt halt quite soon. I hope whatever happens it works out for the lad, as long as he stays away from penalties!

It’ll be interesting to see who we bring in. I think we need a striker to replace Martyn Waghorn and possibly a right-back. I’ve seen that Nicky Adams has been playing there a bit in pre-season and he could do a job. I like Nicky and spoke with him a couple of times last season. He’s got so much enthusiasm and determination to prove himself at Leicester and that showed when he turned down a move to Brentford this summer. I’m glad he’s stayed and I’d like to see him involved a bit more.

The Leicester Legends Vs Forest Legends Charity fixture last Sunday was a great success and I’d like to thank everybody that supported the game. The 4-4 draw was a great spectacle and the weather was perfect. The Forest lads were fantastic and all stayed out for the after party at Revolution in Loughborough.

We raised £5000 for Wishes4Kids and a lot of people went the extra mile to make it a success, including my wife Sira who helped me with a lot of the organising. Crowndale Food Services provided top quality beef burgers and sausages for free, which was a great gesture.

The facilities at Quorn Football Club were fantastic, with the pitch one of the best I’ve seen in Leicestershire, and Chairman Stuart Turner was great. The two lads that won the auction to play for the Legends team, Dave Smith and Sean Jeynes, certainly enjoyed themselves too. Sean managed to score our fourth goal after Muzzy Izzet sent him through one on one and I’ve had an email from him since, saying it was the best day of his life.

Jimmy Sehmi of EL Construction, who’s a massive City fan, agreed to play for Forest to help raise money for charity. I can’t believe he actually put a Forest shirt on to be honest, but after seeing his first touch it suited him better than a City one would’ve done! Talking of Jim, he’s getting married this weekend and for his sins he’s chosen me as his best man! I’m honoured to have been asked and I’d like to wish Jim and his wife-to-be Sarah, all the best for Saturday.

I’ve got a top drawer rugby Q&A night coming up in September. Tigers Director of Rugby Richard Cockerill and club captain Geordan Murphy will be appearing at the City Rooms in Leicester on Thursday September 2nd from 7pm. A two course meal will be provided and Charlie Dagnall is MC for the night. Tickets cost £37.50 + VAT per person. For more information visit www.legendsuk.com or to book contact steve@legendsuk.com.

I talked through this week’s blog at the venue of one of my sponsors, Shimla Pinks Indian Restaurant, which is based on London Road. The food was magnif and the staff were top class. We had a variety of dishes including, Tawa King Prawn, Lamb Chops and Jhinga Til Tikka and I can recommend them all.

The food was delicious and between the three of us we absolutely mangled it! I’d like to say a big thank you to Danny and everyone at Shimla’s for making us so welcome.

Steve Walsh Blog in association with:

The troop will then travel to Twickenham, the home of rugby, on August 14th to perform during the Middlesex 7s Rugby Tournament, the biggest rugby charity event in Europe. The Leicester Tigers and the England rugby team are both expected to play some part on the day.

Earlier this year, a group of dancers performed with Alexandra Burke at the Wasps vs Bath St George’s Day fixture in front of 65,000 spectators. Around half of these young people are returning for the new project.

The dance project has been organised by the Foxes Learning Centre, Pro-Excel and Leicester City Council, and is part of the Rex Hall Associates ‘Performing for Success’ initiative.

There are still a few places remaining, so if you are aged between 13 and 16-years-old, attend a Leicester City school and are available on all 4 days, send an email to foxeslearning@me.com including your name and school.

People keep asking me why I’m organising a Community Media Hub for both parts of the 2012 Games in London and what exactly it is.

It’s very simple and deliberately so. I will sit with a laptop and iphone at a table in the Phoenix while utilising their free wifi. Then, invite people to join in and see what happens. The Phoenix Square Film and Digital Media Centre has been built and cost a great deal of money. It’s there to be used so why not develop a project that allows the building to showcase all its cutting edge services and act as a platform for local people to capture their personal experiences around the games?

The Community Media Hub planned for Sky Ride Leicester’s mass participation cycle ride on August 29th this summer will be staffed by over 40 ‘Citizen Reporter’ volunteers. Each one of them motivated by the need to record every aspect of the day and provide an online live community news feed by using mobile phones, digital cameras and flip cams.

We still have the opportunity of another Sky Ride in 2011, several Community Media Days and for the first time this November – Community Media Week. This gives a chance for all community groups across the city and county to come together and shout, very loudly, about everything that’s important to them.

Therefore, the opportunity to volunteer during both the Olympics and Paralympics is the icing on the cake. The big global showcase shines the light on London and gives us a chance to shout about what the diverse communities get up to in Leicester. It’s just too good an opportunity to miss. The news is full of ‘The Big Society’ at the moment and provides us with the means to show what we all do as being relevant to central government. A social franchise model possibly?

The people that really need to sit up and take notice are the city and county councils. Too much funding has been squandered on community groups that waste money on projects that are clearly not needed, or are delivered inappropriately. We all know who these groups are but they somehow get away with it. It is now time to listen. There is no money anymore so let’s all pull together.

There is still time to register for the Sky Ride Leicester event and the local media team are working hard to get more new cyclists involved from as many communities as possible. The anticipated turnout is about 15,000 and represents one of the largest mass participation events organised during the year. It will be a fun day with lots of activities to take part in as well as the cycling. The full route will be published soon. It takes in some of the city’s old and new iconic buildings and the ride over Belgrave flyover has to be one of the things I’m most looking forward to.

If cycling is not your thing, why not take the chance to see the city traffic free and support those taking a leisurely ride or raising sponsorship for their chosen charity? Abbey Park, the Space Centre and Abbey Pumping Station will be open for people that day, so please take a look. The Phoenix will play host to the Community Media Hub and will be an interesting place to park up and have a look. We are planning some free bike film showings throughout the day so you can use the bike park and take a break. You can have your photograph taken, do a filmed interview for YouTube, or give us a comment that we can send out around the world. Our message – Leicester was open for people!

This year we have combined two events and from Friday 27th to Monday 30th August, the 8th Ride Leicester Bike Film Festival will be taking place at the Phoenix. Please pick up their latest August programme for details of the films being screened and timings. The launch event takes place on Thursday 26th in the evening and live entertainment is being provided by the Slowdown Boys. It will be a great event so check out the website www.bikefilmfestival.org for more details.

If you fancy yourself as a Citizen Reporter, why not drop in at one of the Community News Café sessions we run every Tuesday in partnership with Kona Blue Coffees in the Highcross? They take place from 9.30am until 10.30am and again in the evening from 6pm to 7.30pm.

Finally, everyone thinks it’s funny to now ask me how long to the 2012 Games, just to see if I know. So, here goes…the Olympics is 736 days and the Paralympics 769 days away. Not long at all!

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