MANCHESTER, England, April 24 /PRNewswire/ --

- Over One Million Children Take Part in E.ON National FA Cup Schools Day

Alan Shearer went back to school today as over a million school children nationwide celebrated E.ON National FA Cup Schools Day 1.

Over a quarter of the country's primary school children, aged between 7 and 11, traded their traditional lessons for a celebration of the history and excitement of the world's greatest domestic cup competition.

Children from around the country decked out their classrooms in Cup flags, mini trophies and football memorabilia as they enjoyed football themed lessons, including 'Football in the picture' English classes, where children were asked to develop a story based on a famous moment in FA Cup history.

To promote healthy eating, 'Food to make you dribble' sessions highlighted the importance of a healthy diet and asked students to make their own menu fit for a top footballer. Children also took part in mini FA Cup tournaments and football fitness games in PE.

Adding his support was former England striker and E.ON National FA Cup Schools Day ambassador, Alan Shearer, who visited Varna Street Primary School in Manchester which took part today. The former Newcastle United Captain said,

"I've been supporting E.ON National FA Cup Schools Day for two years now and it's encouraging to see it going from strength to strength with over a million children taking part this year. You could see from the excitement in the classroom here today how football can help to make learning fun. I just wish something like this had been around when I was at school!"

Mike Thompson, Head of Sponsorship and Events at E.ON, said,

"We are hugely proud that so many schools are involved in the second E.ON National FA Cup Schools Day. With over a million children taking part this year we will see over a quarter of all primary school children in the country learning about The FA Cup. Our schools development programme is an important part of our overall sponsorship and demonstrates our commitment at all levels of the game. The FA Cup is a fantastic competition that appeals to all generations and we're delighted to be able to harness The Cup's magic to inspire children in the classroom."

E.ON is one of the UK's leading energy suppliers and Sponsor of The FA Cup, The FA Women's Cup and The FA Youth Cup. E.ON National FA Cup Schools Day forms one part of E.ON's role as The FA Schools Partner.

Notes to Editors:

1 E.ON National FA Cup Schools Day officially takes place on Thursday 24th April 2008, although schools are given the flexibility to celebrate on any given day during the week commencing Monday 21 April.

About E.ON National FA Cup Schools Day:

Last year over 300,000 children took part in E.ON National FA Cup Schools Day.

Parents and teachers can find out more by logging on to: http://www.eon-uk.com/nationalfacupschoolsday

About E.ON:

- E.ON is one of the UK's leading energy suppliers, providing gas and electric to millions of Britain's homes.

- E.ON is one of the leading green generators in the UK, with 21 wind farms located from Cornwall to Northern Ireland. We also burn biomass material mixed with coal in two of our power stations and have recently finished building the UK's largest dedicated biomass power station at Lockerbie.

- Combined, our renewable portfolio generates enough green energy to power the homes in a city the size of Manchester.

- E.ON plan to spend GBP1bn on new renewables in the next five years, including new onshore and offshore wind, new biomass and wave and tidal power.

For further information and photos please contact: Sarah Kendall - Arena International, Tel: +44(0)20-7079-5920, Mob: +44(0)7793-124-810, sarah.kendall@arenainternational.co.uk; Simon Breakell - E.ON UK, Tel: +44(0)7702-668-400, simon.breakell@eon-uk.com