YOUNG footballers throughout Burnley will be saying no to poverty as part of a new initiative to coach children in football skills.

Football students from South Nottingham College will be testing their coaching skills on young Burnley teams ahead of a trip to South Africa to coach and provide football kits to children in the townships.

The warm-up' event in Burnley will involve the coaching of five teams of children, aged between 12 and 14, at Brierfield Celtic's ground at Bent Head Playing Fields tomorrow.

The Nottingham and Burnley students will then see Burnley take on Plymouth in a home match.

The Balls to Poverty' project is being sponsored by Amicus, the UK's largest private sector union, and involves 18 Nottinghamshire students delivering coaching clinics to over 1,000 schoolchildren in the Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town townships.

The students will also be donating replica football kits and 3,000 Amicus footballs, pens, paper and rulers to the schoolchildren and competing in a prestigious South African Youth Cup under-19s football tournament in Cape Town.

Amicus is involved as part of its campaign to expose young people in the UK to the activities of trade unions and deliver positive help to developmental projects in Africa.

The Balls to Poverty' scheme was initiated by South Nottingham College director of football and Forest Academy Youth Coach, Joe Sargison.

He said: "Balls to Poverty is all about using sport, and football in particular, to bring people together in a positive and life changing way. The coaching event in Burnley is an excellent opportunity for our students to hone their coaching skills."

Brierfield Celtic will be one of the teams taking part in the project. The team's coach Dave Johnson said: "This is a wonderful opportunity for our young team members to benefit from the skills and experience of these older and more accomplished players and I know they are excited to hear about the South Africa initiative.

"It's great that the two sides will also be able to mix properly when they get to go and watch Burnley play at home."