A SCHOOL has made the "logical and exciting step" to add football to its list of core sports for boys.

Football has been made the seventh core sport for boys at Bryanston School, near Blandford, after an increase in demand from prospective pupils.

Andrew Murfin, deputy head of co-curricular at Bryanston School, said: "Adding football to our list of core sports for boys is a logical and exciting step for us to take. It is also very timely with England having been one of the main hosts and reaching the final of this summer’s rearranged UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.

"Bryanston is blessed with an excellent reputation for sporting achievement and for nurturing the talent and skills of girls and boys in a wide range of sports and we’re delighted that the world’s most popular sport is now a prominent feature of our sporting programme."

The three football courses recently held by the school included a two day course for seven to nine-year-olds as well as three day courses for those aged 10 to 12 and 12 to 14, with more than forty children taking advantage of the opportunity to improve their footballing skills.

Other core sports include rugby, hockey, equestrian, netball, cricket and rowing.

Alex Fermor-Dunman, Bryanston’s Director of Sport, said: "Football is certainly not new to Bryanston. It has always proved popular within our co-curricular programme and we’ve held a number of successful football camps as part of our holiday club programme.

"However, elevating football to become one of the school’s core sports is a significant step for us to take and we have no doubt this will prove to be a very popular move for both existing and prospective pupils.

"The feedback from pupils and parents has been extremely positive."

There has also been growing interest in football among female pupils, and senior girls at the school will continue to have the option to select football as their secondary sport in the spring term.