Premier League Kicks uses the power of football and other sports to connect with young people in some of the most deprived regions across the UK.
The youth outreach programme began over ten years ago, with the aim to create safer, stronger and more respectful communities through the development of young people’s potential, whilst providing access to facilities, coaching and mentoring.
Fleetwood Town Community Trust began running the Premier League Kicks programme in September 2016 and the project has grown from strength to strength.
In its first decade, Premier League Kicks has engaged 205,650 young people in weekly football coaching sessions held at local community venues across the UK. The programme is now run in 776 venues.
In 2019, Premier League Kicks extended its offer even further by promoting and delivering inclusive and female specific activities to the local community.
The project enables young people 8-18 years old to engage in activities such as football, futsal and a youth club to name a few! We also encourage volunteers to support the initiative and the development of the participants involved, and in return, they get the opportunity to gain sporting qualifications.
The Trust have engaged with over 1000 young people since the launch in 2016 across Fleetwood, Thornton Cleveleys, Over Wyre and Garstang.
We also play competitive fixtures as well as host and attend tournaments along with friendlies each month against other local opposition.
For more information please contact: Philip.Bowker@fleetwoodtownfc.com or call 01253 208442
Meet Niamh and Hazel Haworth, regular attendees of our Premier League Kicks Garstang Football sessions. In partnership with The Premier League Charitable Fund, Fleetwood Town Community Trust deliver over eight kicks programmes spread across five different venues within Fleetwood and Wyre targeting children between the ages 8-18. PL kicks aims to use the power of football and other sports to connect with young people in some of the most deprived regions across the UK.
The youth outreach programme began over ten years ago, with the aim to create safer, stronger, and more respectful communities through the development of young people’s potential, whilst providing access to facilities, coaching and mentoring. Niamh (aged 9) and Hazel (aged 10) both live with their parents and (their Guinea Pig, Phillip) near Lancaster. Both have faced significant challenges over the past year; Hazel stated that she “missed her friends and family during COVID19 but enjoyed staying connected with people online” whereas Niamh mentioned how she suffers with asthma and “didn’t like much exercise because it felt hard work and it made me wheezy” yet nurses continue to encourage exercise.
Going onto talk about what Premier League Kicks has done for them, Hazel suggested “PL Kicks has helped me make friends and get fitter, plus my uncles play football so I can now impress them with my moves” she then went on to say, “The coaches at PL Kicks are really friendly and I would suggest it to anyone over the age of five.” Also documenting her time at Kicks, Niamh stated “I enjoy going because it doesn’t feel like hard work to exercise, even when I’m tired after a busy day at school. I enjoy seeing my friends there too.” She also had special praise for one of our coaches mentioning “I like Corey because he is fun, he doesn’t shout and teaches me new tricks.”
Niamh and Hazel’s parents also shared the impact of PL Kicks from their perspective as they highlighted “I’m so glad we found out about the Kicks sessions. The Coaches are friendly, encouraging and create a great atmosphere where everyone feels welcome. The girls look forward to going each week, whatever the weather. It’s a great way of them keeping fit and learning a new skill which we might not been able to afford otherwise.” If your child is aged between 8 and 12 years old, then why not bring them down to our Garstang PL Kicks session, every Wednesday 6.00-7.00pm at Garstang Community Academy.
All our PL Kicks sessions are FREE and for more information on other venues/times, contact Philip.Bowker@fleetwoodtownfc.com.
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