A WORLD record-breaking Barnsley freestyle footballer – who has been posting his flicks and tricks online during the lockdown – has been nominated for a Proud of Barnsley award.

Ash Randall, who holds 20 world records in freestyle football, has been posting videos on social media that help young people learn tricks from the comfort of their living rooms.

The 29-year-old has also held freestyling sessions throughout the year for children aged eight to 12 in a bid to improve skills and fitness.

The daily videos, that anyone can watch online, came after Ash had to postpone future sessions for safety reasons.

Ash said: “I work with a lot of schools so I knew a lot of my work would disappear throughout this period, so I wanted to find a way to continue to teach the tricks and skills to others.

“I started filming videos of myself teaching different tricks that people can do at home and posting them on Twitter, Facebook and TikTok.”

Ash has encouraged his young followers to share their videos of his tricks with him, so he can share them online.

“You can easily fall into bad habits being at home all the time, so you need these kind of things to keep you active and keep you on your feet.

“I’ve been filming most of them from my kitchen, so it’s just about keeping busy and making the most of what you have.

“I’ve done a lot of cool things, been to a lot of places and met some great people but in these tough times I’m doing what I can to continue teaching these kids what I know in the hope to inspire youngsters at home.”

His efforts have led to a nomination in the Children’s Champion category at this year’s Proud of Barnsley awards.

“I’m very surprised to have been nominated, of course I’m very happy and excited.

“Especially during this strange period where all my work has pretty much been cut off the last few weeks I’ve just been trying my best to do what I can on the online side of things and a big part of that has been releasing daily football skills tutorials online, currently up to day 82.

“So this is definitely a boost for me to continue doing what I’m doing.”