ARTIST and soccer coach Geoff Berry will watch the American Superbowl on Sunday with stars and stripes in his eyes.

For the final will bring memories flooding back about just how tough it is to teach British style-soccer skills to American football crazy kids.

Geoff, 54, recently returned to England after 25 years travelling the US and Canada.

During that time he spent several seasons trying to teach the European game to budding soccer stars whose passion had been fuelled by the World Cup.

He said: "At the time, the Americans had their world series baseball, football and basketball.

"But they suddenly realised that soccer was the biggest sport in the world.

"In true Hollywood fashion, Coca Cola sponsored a massive drive to promote the game and imported players like Pele."I joined the United States Soccer Federation and became an instructor. I had an A Licence, the highest there was." But an inbuilt love of the home-grown game among the Americans gave Blackburn-born Geoff a hard time.

He added: "At least if you try and teach English kids soccer skills you know they have been playing on the street or in the garden for years.

"I taught kids who had never seen a round football. They just wanted to pick it up and run with it."

Geoff's personal favourite American football stars are the San Diego Chargers.

As for the Superbowl in Arizona, he predicts the Dallas Cowboys will take the honours over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He added: "They are just an incredible team."

Geoff lived part of his time on a ranch in Arizona, panning for gold, drawing and working with the local native American Indians.

Most of his artistic work involves the Indians, but he also drew other Americana.

He said: "I was in a town and this kid asked if I could draw a footballer. It was different to my usual stuff, but he was a nice kid so I agreed."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.