The FA has pledged to support 200,000 coaches in grass-roots football as part of a new £10 million partnership with McDonald's. The sport's ruling body in England set the target as it agreed a four-year extension to its sponsorship deal with the fast food giant.

The project will also involve supporting 400,000 volunteers in a bid to increase the profile and improve the standard of the work done by local clubs.

The FA's community partner for the past eight years, McDonald’s has helped drive the recruitment and training of more than 10,000 community coaches, while a quarter of its outlets support a local club in a programme launched earlier this year.

McDonald's has also helped to develop the FA Community Shield into a celebration of the achievements at grass-roots level, rewarding amateur clubs with tickets to the annual season curtain-raiser at Wembley.

Ian Watmore, the FA chief executive, said: “I am delighted we have secured McDonald’s support for another four years and am confident that the investment and focus on driving up standards in English grass-roots football will have a positive impact on young players, the coaches, the parents and ultimately the national game as a whole.”

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