MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands' “first” for team of United coaches

Carlisle United will make history this week when a team of five coaches become the first delegation from a professional football team to visit the Falkland Islands.

The team headed by Brunton Park hero John Halpin, have accepted a mission to make the 8,000-mile trip to the South Atlantic islands to teach skills to schoolchildren and coach an armed forces team.

They will fly out from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire for their 13-hour journey, which will include a brief stop at Ascension Island, on Thursday and return to Carlisle the following Friday.

The United delegation, which also includes James Tose, Nick Rigg, Matthew Graham, and Barry Keal, hope to add a few more fans to Brunton Park's long-distance Blue Army and will take some club gifts with them, including flags and scarves.

The trip is part of a partnership between Carlisle United and the Royal Air Force, which followed a charity match in the summer.