News

Half-term success with Kicks

Participants from our Kicks projects were kept busy over the February half-term last week.

Outside of the weekly evening sessions, we provide our groups with additional matches and tournaments during the holidays. The teams are picked based on regular attendance and positive behaviour whilst they are at the sessions.

The half-term programme started with an u16 tournament hosted by Leicester City, which also featured Kicks teams from West Bromwich Albion, Derby County, Aston Villa, Queens Park Rangers and Everton.

On Monday, 120 young people from five different sites took part in U-12 and U-14 tournaments at Rosemary Gardens, a local pitch in north London, bringing people from different parts of north London together for an afternoon of football.

On Wednesday, we invited U-20 and U-18 teams to Market Road for a seven-a-side tournament. Market Road is a local football facility refurbished with the help of The Arsenal Foundation, and is a regular venue for Arsenal in the Community projects.

The event saw Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Harlow-based charity ‘Support Works’ all take part.

Prior to the tournament, participants took part in a workshop with Street Doctors.

At the end of the week, the participants competed in the London Youth Football Tournament. Our U-12s won the division which featured youth football teams from all over London.

The Arsenal Kicks programme deliver free football sessions to young people aged eight and above in Islington, Camden, Hackney and Westminster.

For more information please contact Jack Ironside at jironside@arsenal.co.uk