AFC Bournemouth captain Neto and club legend Steve Fletcher were on hand to entertain residents at Care South’s Castle Dene care home in Bournemouth.
The event was staged by the AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust and Neto and Fletcher joined in the fun as everyone put their footballing skills to the test.
Residents took part in some warm-up exercises before playing seated football and other games with goalkeeper Neto and club record appearance-maker Fletcher.
Prizes for the games were presented by the pair to residents Pam, Mitzy and Mary, with the Community Sports Trust donating Cherries scarves and club clocks.
Care South, an established club partner, is a not-for-profit organisation and is the leading provider of high-quality residential and Care at Home services across the South of England.
With its roots based in the local community, Care South offer a full range of care services for people of all ages, from those who need temporary help with everyday life to people looking for a new home with full-time care.
Lana Wright, home manager at Castle Dene, said: “It’s always great to welcome the team from AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust to Castle Dene.
“Residents thoroughly enjoyed the football games, especially with AFC Bournemouth captain Neto and Steve Fletcher joining in. The trust visits the home regularly to deliver football sessions which help to keep residents in our care active and engaged, with input from the community.”
Steve Cuss, head of AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust, said: “It is always fantastic to visit any Care South home and this was a special day for everyone who got to experience it.
“We have a really strong partnership with Care South which sees us go to all their residential homes in the area, two or three times a week.
“Residents and staff enjoyed meeting Neto and Steve Fletcher and it was great to have both of them joining in the session, playing games and chatting to the residents which is an important part of what we do.
“We really enjoy interacting with residents. We always make sure we incorporate football into it, having fun and games, socialising and talking about AFC Bournemouth.
“We always have lots of fun. Football has the power to do that, even with the older generation. It’s a slightly adapted session with them all sitting down but it’s about having fun and that’s what we did. They are always fun and this was a special afternoon at Castle Dene.”
Neto, who hails from Brazil, joined the Cherries in the summer having played previously for Fiorentina, Juventus, Valencia and Barcelona.
He said: “We had a great time and I really enjoyed myself at Castle Dene. It’s always nice to see a smile on people’s faces.
“My grandmother spent time in a care home and I know how important these places can be.
“It’s great to be part of a football club which goes into the community and helps people. We heard stories about them and their friends who like football and it was great to see everybody was happy and enjoying themselves.”
Resident Pam, who won one of the prizes on offer, said: “It was wonderful to see the people from AFC Bournemouth because you need to be doing something every day.
“It was good to take part in the activities and everybody got involved in the games.”
The partnership between AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust and Care South began in 2014 and allows residents, home care clients and staff to get involved in a variety of activities, including meeting players, coffee mornings, walking football and visits to Vitality Stadium.
Click through the arrows above to see a gallery of pictures from the event.
