How the Premier League are helping to bring communities together

As we mark the United Nations International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, find out more about the programmes run by the Premier League Foundation that foster inclusion and connection Today marks the latest International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, which is run every year by the United Nations to showcase how sport can be used to drive social change. With the theme of this year's campaign being 'Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers', discover how the Premier League, through the Premier League Foundation, is investing in programmes and funds that are promoting social cohesion, community connection and inclusion across England and Wales. Premier League Foundation The 2025/26 season is a landmark one for the Premier League Foundation, which is not only marking its 15-year anniversary but also celebrating 20 years of one of its community programmes, Premier League Kicks. Established in 2010, the Premier League Foundation creates positive sporting, health, personal and education opportunities for children, young people and the wider community, highlighting that the game of football is about far more than just the action on the pitch.It is now one of the biggest sports charities in the world, with Premier League investment enabling the Premier League Foundation to support 106 football club charities across the Premier League, English Football League and National League. In turn, these football club charities then deliver Premier League programmes and funds that have a life-changing impact in their local communities. To date, more than 2.5 million participants have benefitted from these programmes. Premier League Kicks Launched in 2006, Premier League Kicks uses the power of football to engage young people in high-need areas to help them reach their potential. It creates opportunities for young people who are at risk of anti-social behaviour to take part in football, sport, mentoring and personal development opportunities. The programme is now run by 93 football charities and over the last 20 years, more than 600,000 people have been touched by the impact of Premier League Kicks. One example of how Premier League Kicks changes lives is the story of Muktar, who now runs the programme for QPR in the Community Trust.A few years ago, he was making decisions that were leading to negative consequences but he began to turn his life around when QPR offered him training and volunteering opportunities. "Premier League Kicks means everything to me," he says. "I don't know exactly what I'd be doing now without it, but it wouldn't be good. It's given me a second chance in life. I made mistakes when I was younger and now, using my experience, I'm trying to help others not to make the same mistakes as me." A key component of Premier League Kicks is the work it carries out with more than 38 police forces to bring down barriers in local communities. The Premier League Kicks Police Partnerships Fund is provides nearly £1 million in additional funding to 43 football club charities to help tackle youth crime and anti-social behaviour over the next two seasons.This investment is match funded with £1.2m partnership funding from police forces, Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Violence Reduction Units - resulting in a total of over £2 million funding over the next two years. Sergeant Carl McCoy is part of the Lancashire Police Prosper Partnership team and works closely with Burnley FC in the Community on the Premier League Kicks programme. "We have a lot of engagement with Burnley and it helps us get to know the young people, helps us build relations and try to change that mentality," he says. "With the support of Burnley and the coaches, we try to point the young people in the right direction. "Without this partnership, it would be more difficult for us. I have no doubt that the pilot will reduce anti-social behaviour and criminality."Premier League Primary Stars The Premier League's primary school education programme has been running since 2017 and uses the power of football to inspire pupils to be active and develop life skills. The programme is delivered in more than 19,400 primary schools across England and Wales - 84 per cent of the total - and uses club coaches and 650+ online resources, which cover subjects such as mental wellbeing, resilience and the importance of diversity, to engage young people and foster their love of learning. More than 100 football club charities are now delivering the programme and 1.3m children have engaged with digital resources As well as the activity in the classroom and in the playground, schools and pupils can also get involved in virtual events, such as club author days and book quizzes, that are delivered in partnership with the National Literacy Trust.Katherine Marshall is middle school leader at Crabtree Farm Primary School in Nottingham, with coaches from Nottingham Forest Community Trust coming into the school to support children who maybe don't read at home or need that extra help. "Premier League Primary Stars massively helps raise our children's aspirations," she says. "It helps them have good role models in their life. It's great that we're inspiring these children to read who are reluctant readers and brilliant that these children have somebody that they can have a kick around with and have a bit of a talk with."Premier League Inspires For young people aged 11-18 who are at risk of not reaching their potential or disengaging with education, the Premier League Inspires programme empowers them to develop personal, social, employability and life-skills through a series of regular face-to-face group sessions, mentoring, workshops and social-action projects. The programme is now delivered by 54 football club charities and helps participants develop the personal skills and positive attitude to succeed.Independent research has revealed that schools not only believe that Premier League Inspires helps to improve the behaviour of pupils but that it also increases engagement in lessons and reduces the risk of absenteeism and exclusion. More than 40,000 people have taken part in Premier League Inspires since it began in 2019 and one of those participants is Amelia from Sunderland. She found school difficult due to struggles with her mental health. Her self-esteem was low and she found it hard to connect with classmates but everything changed when she started weekly one-to-one mentoring sessions at school with Amber Durrant - a Premier League Inspires tutor at the Foundation of Light, the official charity of Sunderland AFC."Once I opened up about how I felt coming into school, Amber changed it straight away," Amelia says. "I love speaking when I feel like I can open up about anything. She helps me a lot with my mental health and attendance - now I enjoy school and I love coming in." Premier League and PFA Players' Fund The Premier League's partnership with the Professional Footballers' Association gives football club charities the opportunity to develop initiatives that directly respond to particular needs in their local community. With programmes such as Aston Villa's Villa Vision, Man City's City Play Together or Wolverhampton Wanderers' Healthy Goals, there are currently 75 active projects being delivered by 32 football club charities across England and Wales; with more that 250,000 participants engaged to date. Crystal Palace's Get Involved programme gives opportunities for young people and adults from the Asian and Muslim community to participate in football and increase cohesion with other communities through joint activities."Participating in Get Involved has given me a sense of belonging," says Akram, a Get Involved with the Palace For Life Foundation. "Football is significant in my community because it serves as a platform for social integration, encouraging interaction and cooperation among various groups of people. It provides a common ground for people from all walks of life to come together, celebrate successes, and support one another, fostering social cohesion within the community without making anyone feel judged." Premier League Fans Fund The Premier League Fans Fund supports football clubs at all levels of the game to strengthen connections between them, their fans and local communities. The projects, which include schemes for under-represented groups, are delivered by the clubs help to foster a sense of belonging through meaningful engagement.The pilot phase of the Premier League Fans Fund took place between 2023 and 2025 and involved more than 100 projects and over 150,000 participants. The Premier League is committing £5m over the next two years in fan-led projects across the Premier League, EFL, WSL (Women's Super League) and WSL2. Walsall FC For All began in 2024 with the aim of strengthening bonds between the club and the diverse and underrepresented communities that surround the Bescot Stadium; improving community cohesion in the process."All of our work across the Walsall FC Foundation uses the power of football, the badge and the Premier League to engage with the community; whether that be children in primary school, teenagers who want a safe space to play football, or as with this programme, the Muslim community. Football brings people together," says Paul Larvin, Walsall FC Foundation senior operations manager. "The more we can do that in the current climate of the world we're in, the more we can bridge these gaps, the better it is for everybody. There's so many different communities that are doing fantastic work but don't engage enough with each other and football is allowing us to get these groups to engage more."