Beckham has 15,000 kids screaming in New Zealand

WELLINGTON: More than 15,000 screaming schoolchildren watched football superstar David Beckham go through a light practice with his LA Galaxy team mates Friday at Wellington stadium.

Schools gave students time off and organised buses from all over the region to take them to the stadium, where the Galaxy will play an exhibition match Saturday evening against the local Phoenix club.

Pop music blared from loudspeakers in an atmosphere a reporter said was reminiscent of a Beatles concert, and the cheers and screams rose to a crescendo every time Beckham waved or smiled at the crowd.

Kids held up banners saying: "We love Becks" and "Go David Beckham," repeating the welcome that the star and his mates received when they flew in Thursday from Sydney.

Beckham said earlier that he was looking forward to the session.

"To have 15,000 kids and people wanting to come and watch us train - I'm not sure I've had that before, to be honest," he said. "It's going to be a great thing for our players."

Football fans welcomed news that Beckham, who has said he wants to play the full 90 minutes Saturday, showed no sign of trouble with his injury-prone ankle during the training session.
 
The Galaxy players were scheduled to make another public appearance Friday night at the stadium, when the Phoenix plays an Australian league match against Adelaide United.

A capacity crowd of more than 30,000 is expected to watch Saturday's game.