Prince of Wales jokes about record number of high-fives as he greets crowds in Black Country

Prince William visited Sporting Khalsa FC in Willenhall on Tuesday (March 11) afternoon as part of a campaign by the Football Association (FA) to recruit more people from black, Asian and mixed heritage backgrounds into refereeing roles.

His Royal Highness, who is a patron of the FA, took part in the refereeing course which forms part of the FA's 'Reflective and Representative Campaign'.

Primary school pupils from the nearby Fibbersley Park Academy were among waiting to greet the future King outside the football club's grounds, repeatedly chanting "William" as they eagerly waited for his arrival.

Wearing a smart navy-coloured jacket and trousers, with a blue shirt and suede shoes, Prince William spent time greeting those in the crowd, later joking that he had "broken the record for the number of high-fives" given.

Many of the youngsters proudly waved hand-coloured flags and signs at His Royal Highness, one of which read: "Welcome Prince William, I hope you are a good referee." 

Pam Dawes was lucky enough to take a picture with the future King, leaving her feeling emotional.

The 62-year-old, who had been waiting around two hours for his arrival, said: "He shook my hand and I had a photo with him. I am absolutely over the moon. He was lovely, very nice."

Stevie Herbert, also from Willenhall, was the first one to arrive outside the football club on Tuesday morning for Prince William's arrival.

The 47-year-old told the Express & Star: "I was the first one here at 9.15am. It's just amazing, I'm proud we have got people down here. 

"I couldn't tell you the last time a Royal person has been here, so for somebody so special to be here is just amazing."

Tammie Gotsall said she was "shocked" to hear Prince William would be visiting her home town.

She said: "We are really excited, I have followed the Royal Family all of my life so I thought it would be really lovely to come down and see him in person, especially when he has come to your home town.

"I have been here since 10.45am. I think this is an opportunity we probably won't get again. I couldn't miss the chance of being here."

Aston Villa-fan David Stokes came along with his granddaughter, Bethan, in hopes of seeing Prince William, who is a fellow supporter of the club.

The 77-year-old said: "We just like to see [the royal's]. We are Aston Villa fans as well - I want to know if his sons are Villa fans. It's nice to know Willenhall is on the map."

After greeting the crowds, Prince William made his way inside the Sporting Khalsa FC grounds where he firstly met with the club's directors, Manjit Gill and Inder Grewal, who gifted him one of the club's football shirts.

Mr Grewal said :"We are proud of the fact he chose our club to come down and help promote the referees and also help promote Sporting Khalsa as well.

"We gave him a shirt and said you have another Midlands club to support, so we were happy with that."

On his visit, His Royal Highness took part in several activities with the young referees on the course, some of which were secondary school pupils from The Khalsa Academy in Wolverhampton.

He did short sprints on the pitch during a flag-waving exercise and even had his turn at refereeing a football match.

FA Refereeing delivery manager, Raj Randhawa, and British Army Lieutenant and referee trainer on the course, Levi Gray, chatted with the Prince on the football pitch during the visit.

Mr Randhawa described him as a "down-to-earth" person.

He told the Express & Star: "He was very engaging. He comes from a football background which is always good. 

"It was quite interesting that he wanted to learn more about the refereeing side because he has always been on the other side being a football fan.

"He was asking a lot of questions around certain decisions and just generally learning about what the journey looks like for these young referees. 

"He was just very down-to-earth, very friendly. I just felt like I was talking to a friend."

The FA course started in July 2023 and combines theory and practical training to support those taking their first steps into officiating.

It is aimed at youngsters aged 14 and over who wish to referee mini football, 9v9 and 11v11 games.