- Leicester City and OH Leuven celebrate the opening of a new community pitch in Leuven
- The Foxes are in the Belgian city to contest a pre-season friendly against Marc Brys’ men
- Manager Brendan Rodgers, alongside Timothy Castagne and Dennis Praet, attended the inauguration of the Casablanca Pitch in the Kessel-Lo
- Foxes legends Matt Elliott and Steve Walsh were also in attendance at the new pitch, which was funded in part by OHL staff
The Foxes – who since their takeover in 2010 have won the Premier League and the FA Cup – visit Den Dreef Stadium on Saturday (1pm kick-off) to tackle an OH Leuven side who are on their joint-longest run of successive seasons in the Belgian First Division, after joining the King Power family five years ago.
On Friday, Leuven City Mayor Mohamed Ridouani and OHL CEO Peter Willems were joined by representatives from Leicester City to celebrate the opening of the Casablanca Pitch in the Kessel-Lo district – refurbished this summer using funds donated by members of OH Leuven’s workforce.
The Foxes contingent in attendance included manager Brendan Rodgers, in the company of Timothy Castagne and Dennis Praet.
The investment of time and resources into local communities remains a hugely significant part of King Power’s vision for both Leicester City and OH Leuven – making Friday evening’s event a fitting occasion, celebrated with Leuven locals and Foxes fans who had travelled from the UK.
Rodgers: "For King Power, across both clubs, the community is so important. It's just amazing to be here. It's a fantastic occasion."
Situated in the eastern quarter of Leuven, the new pitch, renovated from concrete into a multi-surface sports venue, was funded in part by a €25,000 donation by OHL staff. It is hoped it can be used by members of the community of all ages to remain healthy and enjoy football for generations to come.
The evening began with local schoolchildren taking to the newly-refurbished pitch, before fans of both OHL and LCFC went head-to-head in a friendly-natured seven-a-side encounter. They were cheered on by Foxes icons Matt Elliott and Steve Walsh, while OHL legends Yves Lenaerts, Wim Raymaekers, Raf Labie, Patrick Monziba, Maxime Annys, Kevin Spreutels and Emmanuel Lanvu also leant their support.
Before long, Elliott and Walsh and their OHL counterparts were locking horns themselves, meaning several hundreds of games of top-flight experience in England and Belgium graced the new Casablanca Pitch.
Elliott said: “This is great for the city and you can see the interest it's generated. It's really bringing the pitch together and you can see that from our short time here. The pitch is a magnificent quality for the purpose that it's built. Even Steve Walsh, his touch was sure out there!”
Ahead of Saturday’s friendly between OHL and Leicester City – which will be broadcast on LCFC TV from 12pm BST – a special ‘Fan Day’ will allow supporters of both teams to savour the occasion.
Make sure to check back to LCFC.com and follow @LCFC social media for updates throughout the day.