Phil Bowker named Fleetwood Town’s Premier League Kicks ‘Local Legend’ as community programme marks 15-year anniversary!

Premier League Kicks began in the 2006/07 season in partnership with the Metropolitan Police, with the aim of involving and supporting young people in regular, positive, and fun activity, whilst helping to create stronger, safer, more inclusive communities.

As part of the 15-year celebrations, clubs have nominated a Premier League Kicks ‘Local Legend’ – somebody who has taken part in, volunteered, or worked on the programme and has inspired others through their dedication, work ethic and own personal development. Each nominee will receive a bespoke ‘Local Legend’ football card, which has been created with support from Premier League partner Panini.

Phil Bowker, age 37 years old was chosen as Fleetwood Town’s Premier League Kicks Local Legend because of the impact he has on the community, specifically the young people within it.

Phil, who has been involved with Fleetwood Town Community Trust’s Premier League Kicks activity for three years said:

“Premier League Kicks for me has become a big thing in my life, when I was the age of these kids I used to play on the streets with my mates and meet new people. We never used to have a set up like this and I think it’s great for the kids to see that football clubs provide these types of activities. The tournaments and fixtures against other clubs are very important in my opinion, a lot of these kids don’t get out of their town and are very fortunate and appreciative that they can do this with our help.”

The Trust began its Premier League Kicks delivery in 2016 and since then has hosted over 1900 Kicks sessions across the borough of Wyre and engaged a total of 1670 participants aged 8-18 years old, over the last six years.

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand said: “Legend is a word you hear a lot in football, but legends aren’t just created in stadiums. The coaches, mentors, volunteers and participants who are fulfilling their potential thanks to these weekly sessions all deserve to be called legends.

“For 15 years Premier League Kicks has been using the universal language of football to bring communities together and inspire a new generation of young people, providing positive role models who can give them belief and can help to steer them on the right path in life.”

As well as providing young people with access to free football and sports activities, Premier League Kicks offers mentoring, life skills advice and access to opportunities like volunteering to help aid their development.

To date, the Premier League has invested almost £66 million in Kicks and in the year ahead an estimated 80,000 young people will take part in the programme.

Since it began, more than 440,000 young people have participated in Premier League Kicks football and multi-sport sessions held at community venues across England and Wales. The programme started with four pilot clubs and is now run across 936 venues by 90 Premier League, English Football League and National League sides – all funded by the Premier League.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: “We are proud of the incredible impact Kicks has had on communities up and down the country over the past 15 years. As we mark the anniversary, this is an opportunity to celebrate the local legends who have helped make Premier League Kicks what it is.

“The success of the programme would not have been possible without the hard work and passion of club staff, coaches and volunteers working alongside young people at Kicks sessions, week in, week out.”

Clubs also run workshops on a variety of social issues, enabling young people to openly discuss topics that affect them, like equality, diversity and inclusion and combatting youth violence and knife crime. The programme also sees clubs work with 36 territorial police forces throughout the country – with regular sessions taking place in disadvantaged areas.

The Premier League funds Premier League Kicks and other community programmes through its £100m investment per season in community facilities and community and education programmes. This is the biggest voluntary contribution to communities and other good causes of any football league in the world.

Visit premierleague.com for more information.

Contact kholmes@premierleague.com and mhall@premierleague.com for further information or if you would like to speak with a club about their local legend.