Saints and Pompey join forces for Premier League Kicks
On the pitch, it is one of football’s most famous rivalries, but off the pitch both clubs are changing the lives of young people in their communities.
Saints Foundation and Pompey in the Community are collaborating to showcase the positive work being done in each city on youth offending, and providing young people a safe place through the power of football and positive connections.
Premier League Kicks uses football as a hook to connect with 8 to 18-year-olds offering young people positive ways to spend their free time, helping to unlock opportunities for their future.
Supported by the Premier League Charitable Fund, a version of the project is run in each city by the charity arms of each of Hampshire’s biggest clubs. While Saints Foundation and Pompey in the Community adapt their versions of the project to the needs of the city, both teams see common themes and challenges in Southampton and Portsmouth.
With the first league South Coast Derby in over 10 years this week, the team behind both club’s Premier League Kicks project came together at our Oasis Academy Mayfield session last Friday evening to deliver a pitch side workshop on football hooliganism and modelling appropriate behaviour at games, to educate the young participants with conversation they may not otherwise engage in.
Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, said: “Over the past three years I have been funding projects for both the Saints Foundation and Pompey in the Community. They both do great work engaging young people with activities to engage vulnerable young people with positive learning and sporting activities, as well as helping them build a more positive future and avoid youth offending.”
“Despite the on-pitch rivalry between the two teams, seeing these two organisations come together for a workshop on anti-social behaviour at football and hooligan culture, shows how they can unify towards positive change.”
We have had great success with pitch side workshops on knife crime, violence against women and girls, and more, but on this occasion the focus will be on anti-social behaviour at football and hooligan culture. Saints Foundation Ambassador, and South Coast Derby goalscorer, James Beattie joined the session to talk about his experiences of the big game.
The connection and trust participants have in our staff allows for these workshops to be effective and engaging with our young people, which often sees them seek further advice from our staff based on the topics delivered so they can develop their understanding on how it impacts them.
