Members of a world-famous American soccer team, noted for signing former England captains David Beckham and Steven Gerrard, paid a special visit to Hackney’s young carers this week for a kickabout.

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LA Galaxy president Chris Klein and manager of sports science and nutrition Alex Savva hosted a cookery class for the children followed by a football session at Britannia Leisure Centre in Hyde Road.

LA Galaxy, the most decorated team in US Major League Soccer, gave the youngsters LA Galaxy tour T-shirts and also presented the Hackney Young Carers with a donation.

Mr Savva said: “We treat nutrition and sporting success as being inseparable, and to have the opportunity to pass on some of this knowledge through cooking to these kids who have to use it in their everyday lives is awesome. Of course, Chris’ football skills are quite a good draw as well.”

The pair were invited by charity Action for Children to visit the youngsters, aged between nine and 13, and flew to London from Ireland, where the US soccer team is in pre-season training.

Hackney Young Carers supports children caring for a relative with a long-term illness or disability.

The programme was supported by nutrition company Herbalife and designed to give youngsters the skills and the knowledge to cook wholesome cost-effective meals for themselves and their families.

Vera Beining, service manager of Hackney Young Carers, said: “The children were thrilled to get the chance to play football with a US soccer star, and to hear about the importance of nutrition from such a high-profile expert.

“We are also hugely grateful for LA Galaxy’s wonderful and generous donation to our service, which will help make a life-changing difference to the young carers who use our service. The funding will support our important educational and skill-building initiatives to ensure healthy eating and lifestyles – including through cookery classes and sporting activities.”