The dreams of about 100 young Cape Town soccer players and fans came true on Sunday 20 July, when they attended a special coaching clinic given by Manchester United stars and 2010 football ambassadors.

The clinic came a day after the European and British champions drew 1-1 with Kaizer Chiefs in their Vodacom Challenge encounter at Newlands. It was held at Hamilton’s Rugby Club, which is right next door to the new Green Point Stadium, and the cranes and pillars of the new stadium provided a fitting backdrop to the clinic.

Manchester United stars such as Wayne Rooney, Mikel Silvestre, Daniel Simpson and Tomasz Kuszczak, as well as provincial 2010 ambassadors including Manchester United’s Patrick Crerand and former Banyana Banyana captain Desiree Ellis, took part in the training, and spoke to the young soccer players and their coaches.

The 100 participants were selected from a number of clubs in disadvantaged communities, including Mitchells Plain, Elsies River, Nyanga, Langa and Atlantis. A similar coaching clinic, with Kaizer Chiefs stars in attendance, was held outside Stellenbosch.

“When the kids saw Wayne Rooney, it made their day – that was the coaching clinic for them. I wish you could have seen their faces,” said Ellis.

Rooney and the other coaches showed them some ball tricks and kicked the ball about with some of them, before signing autographs and talking to them.

The kids asked him many questions on topics such as what it’s like to play for Manchester United, how married life is treating him, his style of play, and about his teammates.

“Wayne is actually a very shy and humble person, even though he comes across so aggressive on the field. He was very friendly and signed autographs,” she said.

Rooney told them that he comes across as aggressive because he wants to win and puts everything into the game, and this can sometimes be seen as being aggressive. He also told the captivated audience about how hard he works to succeed, inspiring them to do the same.

“I am a Manchester United fan and have been to Old Trafford myself, so it was absolutely magnificent for me too,” said Ellis.

“The whole thing was great fun, and it wasn’t so much about us ambassadors or coaches, but about the kids, and giving them a chance to interact with these stars. Wayne Rooney was definitely the highlight for them. They were just beaming.”

Ronald Gabriel, deputy director for 2010 sports legacy development in the Provincial Government of the Western Cape, said the event was a success, and Rooney’s presence was “the cherry on the top”. The Manchester United stars and ambassadors spoke to the kids at length about their experiences in the sport, he said.

Hamilton’s Rugby Club chairman Bruce Little said the event “went very well”. He added that “it was nice to see a couple of the main players like Rooney on our fields”.

Other 2010 ambassadors at the clinic included Roger Ellis, Mara Sefalane, Achmat Salie and Atiep Abrahams.

Manchester United were in Cape Town as part of the Vodacom Challenge, which will see the British team play against two top South African teams – Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates – with matches in Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria.

Meanwhile, Cape Town police have arrested seven people for selling counterfeit tickets to the Vodacom Challenge game at Newlands, and have warned soccer fans to only buy tickets from registered outlets such as Computicket.