Playmobil's new Soccer range includes football players with 'real kicking action', keepers that can be manipulated to save goals, and a large playing field. You can choose players wearing the strip of a variety of national teams, including England, Brazil, Italy and the Netherlands, and there is also a set of female players. Priced from 2.49.
Contact 0870 417 0007 or www.playmobil.com
Fantastic Football by Clive Gifford claims to contain 'a feast of facts about the beautiful game'. Did you know, for example, that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle played as a goalkeeper for Portsmouth FC in the 1880s under the pseudonym AC Smith, or that in 1999, the Italian club Fiorentina sold cans of air taken from its stadium? There were three 'flavours': Air of the Terraces, Essence of Victory and Dressing Room Atmosphere. These are facts that you obviously won't want to be without and there are plenty more, at a more basic level, in sections on the World Cup, Global Game and Superstars.
A pull-out World Cup 2006 chart at the back of the book will help you follow the event with the children. Fantastic Football is available in softback, priced 7.99 from Oxford University Press. Contact 01536 454 563 or www.oup.com
If the children in your out-of-school club enjoy a game of Monopoly, you might want to consider the FIFA World Cup 2006 Edition. In this timely version the leading countries participate in the tournament and instead of building houses and hotels, the players compete to establish stands and stadiums. The horse rider, dog and hat that are normally used to move around the board are eschewed in favour of a whistle, boot, goalie, goal and striker. Referee and Manager cards replace those for Community Chest and Chance. Suitable for eight-year-olds upwards, Monopoly FIFA is priced 24.99 from Parker Games. Contact 0800 328 7007 or www.hasbro.co.uk
