The Premier League has teamed up with the British Council to create a series of one week international based initiatives. Premier Skills will work with young people to help enhance their skills in football, coaching and English language.
The first of these projects took place in Cairo, supported by Egypt's National Council for Sport, in March and a further week's visit took place in Alexandria in June. Former Newcastle United defender, Warren Barton, and former Wimbledon midfielder, Robbie Earle, will run coaching sessions for local youth leaders.
language courses
The aim is to help them develop their own skills so they can continue to run schemes to benefit their communities for years to come. The Premier League will also provide copies of their 'Skills Factor' training CD to aid their future development.
In addition to the coaching sessions, the British Council will be providing intensive English language courses, which will demonstrate the benefits of education and continue through the British Council's language learning website www.go4english.com.
Premier Skills
International Development/Magic Bus
The Premier League's international development strategy was launched by Prime Minister Gordon Brown last January in Mumbai, India.
The then Chancellor spoke at the announcement of the first of the Premier League's international projects - a three year partnership between the Premier League and Magic Bus, a Mumbai based sports development charity.
outdoor adventure
Magic Bus is an Indian sport for development organisation, addressing some of the world's greatest challenges of poverty and disempowerment, by promoting personal and social education through sport and outdoor adventure. Every week thousands of girls and boys, living in some of the most deprived and marginalised circumstances in the Mumbai, attend the Magic Bus sessions and a growing team of youth and former recipients of the programme mentor the children through their childhood.
The organisation currently works with 4,000 children and delivers weekly sports sessions close to the children's homes and residential camps at the Magic Bus Centre for Learning & Development, two hours outside Mumbai.
For more information about Magic Bus go to www.magicbusindia.org.
Kickz
The Kickz concept launched by former Prime Minister Tony Blair was born out of discussions between the Metropolitan Police and the football industry. The Government's support for the programme, through the Respect Task Force, led to a desire to expand it further than London, which will now lead to involvement from the Association of Chief Police Officers and Association of Police Authorities. The project name and logo Kickz was chosen and designed by young people.
additional support
Funding for the programme's roll out was provided primarily by HM Treasury via the Football Foundation with additional support from the Department for Culture Media and Sport, the youth volunteering charity v, the Respect Task Force and the Department of Health.
Project objectives:
Using the power of football and the appeal of professional football clubs, the purpose of Kickz is to target some of the most disadvantaged areas of the country in order to create safer, stronger and more respectful communities through the development of young people's potential.
The scheme is designed to:
# Engage young people in a range of constructive activities which link to the Every Child Matters framework.
# Break down barriers between the police and young people.
# Reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in the targeted neighbourhoods.
# ncrease the playing, coaching and officiating opportunities for participants.
# Create routes into education, training and employment.
# Encourage volunteering within projects and throughout the target neighbourhoods.
# Increase young people's interest in and connections with the professional game.
For more information go to www.footballfoundation.org.
Sport Relief
The Premier League and its clubs once again joined together to raise money for the BBC event Sport Relief, which culminated in July 2006. All twenty clubs nominated their final home fixture of the 2005/06 season as Sport Relief day and donated 50p from every sale of a match programme at that game.
This contributed to a phenomenal total of £112,000 which the Premier League presented to Sport Relief.
help young people
Sport Relief has now raised close to £45 million for good causes both at home and overseas. Money has been invested in projects to help young people all over the world who have struggled - because of conflict and war in their country or through a lack of education, ill health or access to proper facilities.
Your Game
Your game is an invitational five a side football tournament for young men and women aged 16-25, offering opportunities through football to those who would not normally get the chance to take part in something of this kind.
Led by the BBC, but working with a host of other football bodies including the Premier League, Your Game involved over 1,200 young people taking part in a series of regional tournaments in major cities in England.
try commentating
As well as the opportunity to play at a Premier League ground, Your Game offered participants the chance to train as a coach or referee, DJ workshops and a chance to try commentating with the BBC. This was alongside many other opportunities to get into new jobs through local employment networks.
The teams that have entered your game over the past two years have come from a wide range of backgrounds - homeless hostels, mental health projects, ethnic minority action groups and disabled teams. All were brought together to play each other in a major football tournament aimed specifically at them.
V - Inspired
v is the charity that champions youth volunteering in England. The organisation has the aim of inspiring a million more 16 - 25 year olds to volunteer.
To do this v is working to increase the quantity, quality and diversity of volunteering opportunities available to young people and is supported by the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office.
engage young people
Using the charity's innovative match fund model, v has teamed up with the Premier League to support the Kickz project, which aims to engage young people to volunteer through a sport which they are passionate about.
For more information go to www.vinspired.org
Football Aid
Football Aid is a fundraising organisation that hosts events at the UK's largest clubs, giving fans the chance to sample the typical match day experience of the stars they pay to watch every week.
Heart pumping
From seeing their shirt hanging up in the changing room, the revered run through the tunnel to the heart pumping 90 minutes on the hallowed turf, participants experience just what it is like to pull on the famous jersey and play for their team.
The funds raised will be divided between Diabetes Research and charities nominated by the clubs that took part.
Kick It Out
Kick It Out is football's anti-racism campaign. The Let's Kick Racism Out of Football campaign was started by the Commission for Racial Equality and the Professional Footballers' Association in 1993.
Internationally Kick It Out plays a leading role in the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network and has been cited as an example of good practice by the European governing body UEFA, the world governing body FIFA, the Council of Europe, the European Commission, European parliamentarians and the British Council.
Challenge racism
The campaign is supported by the Premier League, all the game's governing bodies, supporters' organisations and local authorities, and works to challenge racism at all levels of the game.
PROFESSIONAL CLUBS - to ensure a continuing high profile among professional clubs, including the lower divisions and Football Conference.
YOUNG PEOPLE - developing educational resources for use by young people within schools, colleges and youth organisations.
AMATEUR FOOTBALL - working at grassroots and amateur levels to eradicate racist abuse from park football.
ASIANS - working to help encourage the participation of Asians in football at all levels of the game.
BLACK COMMUNITIES - increasing the participation of local ethnic minority communities at their clubs.
EUROPEAN FOOTBALL - building partnerships to help tackle racism in European football.
2004 marked 10 years of campaigning for Kick it Out.
To find out more go to www.kickitout.org
Barclays Spaces for Sports
The Barclays Spaces for Sports scheme involves our League title sponsor Barclays, Groundwork and the Football Foundation in an exciting partnership in which disused or worn out areas are regenerated into the sporting facilities that local residents feel they need.
It doesn't end there; the programme also provides funding and equipment to get sporting activities up and running, and to engage even the hardest to reach groups within communities.
Coaching Packs
In addition to funding new sports sites and engaging communities, every month we provide 100 coaching packs (worth £750 each) to sports teams in underprivileged areas and award one person who has been working tirelessly to promote grassroots sport in their local community with out Spaces for Sports Local Hero Award.
The programme is now in its third year and has been hugely successful with more than 130 sports facilities being opened and over 3000 Barclays coaching packs being given out to sports teams all over the country.
The programme aims to build 200 sites and award 3,600 coaching packs in total, giving half a million people the opportunity to benefit.
www.barclays.co.uk/spacesforsports
Prince's Trust
The Premier League plays a positive role in the personal development of thousands of young people through The Prince's Trust: Football programme.
12-week structured courses incorporate activities that help 16 to 25-year-olds to develop the skills, confidence and motivation to find work while gaining nationally recognised qualifications.
strengthens links
The involvement of Barclays Premier League clubs assists with recruitment, encourages young people in their progress and strengthens links with the local community.
Clubs have continued to lend their support by offering:
# Venues for presentations or as a team base
# Match tickets
# Work Placements
# Player involvement
# Motivational talks
# Articles in match day programmes
# The use of the club logo on promotional material
Courses are open to young people aged from 16 to 25 who are employed, unemployed or those on the New Deal.
75 per cent of Prince's Trust volunteers who were previously unemployed go on to find employment, enter further education or undertake more training. 90 per cent of employers report an improvement in the skills and attitudes of employed participants on their return to work.
To find out more go to www.princestrust.org.
The Football Foundation
The Football Foundation was launched in 2000 by the football authorities and the Government to deliver a multi-million pound investment to the grassroots of the game. This initiative represents a unique partnership of the Barclays Premier League, the Football Association, the Government and Sport England.
social welfare
The Foundation uses its funds to support schemes that promote social welfare and education for those of all ages and abilities. This season alone £37.5 million will go into grassroots football facilities, while £7.5 million will be directed to community and education projects.
The Football Foundation aims to provide sporting facilities and promote education by:
# Putting in place a new generation of modern football facilities in parks, local leagues and schools.
# Providing capital and revenue support for the running of grassroots football.
# Strengthening the links between football and the community, and to harness the potential of the game as a force for good in society.
# Providing funding to improve and deliver modern family, community and disabled facilities at football grounds.
# Details of how to obtain funding are available from:
The Football Foundation, 30 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8FF or go to www.footballfoundation.org.uk
Creating Chances
Creating Chances is the Premier League's flagship community programme engaging communities and supporters across the UK through a series of initiatives involving the Premier League, the 20 Barclays Premier League clubs and 200 of their players.
The Premier League, its clubs and players do make genuine, responsible and committed contributions to their local and wider communities. This activity goes largely unrecognised. The Premier League's new Creating Chances programme aims to bring this work to the forefront with all 20 Barclays Premier League clubs along with their players joining together during one week in September to highlight the extensive community work which takes place throughout the season.
One element of the programme, 'Places for Players', will see 200 Premier League players supporting a number of charities and good causes in September, helping raise awareness of their projects or creating fundraising opportunities. A number of these players were made available across the country via a national application process during May and June 2007. Any charity or good cause could apply to win a player and the successful applicants will be those nominating the most unique yet relevant roles for their players!
Chances For Supporters
In addition to the Places for Players initiative, The Premier League and its clubs are grateful for the loyalty they receive from the supporters and their communities. 'Your Shot', another Creating Chances initiative, is designed to create chances for supporters through the availability of 20 unique match day experiences at Premier League clubs. 'Your Shot' invites fans from each of the 20 Barclays Premier League clubs to apply to win a unique match day experience at the club they support. Do you want to assist the ground staff at Old Trafford treating the hallowed turf? Have your own team talk with Gareth Southgate in the dressing room at Middlesbrough? Be the Chairman for the day at Chelsea? This could be your chance.
Finally, Premier League All Stars is a made for television football entertainment programme which will see Premier League legends, celebrities and fans coming together to field teams representing all 20 Barclays Premier League clubs.
Cash Donations
The knockout competition will see clubs playing in official kits to win cash donations for their nominated charities with the greatest share and the Premier League All Stars Trophy going to the champion's charity or charities of choice.
The official launch of the Premier League Creating Chances programme was held on 7th August 2007. The national launch will involve a player representing each of the 20 Barclays Premier League Clubs and will be followed up by the Creating Chances week of action. The week will involve a co-ordinated series of local and national events involving the Premier League, its clubs and players across a 10 day period between Friday 21st September and Sunday 30th September.
