Arsenal in the Community deliver free sessions on local estates and parks for young people aged eight to 18 where they can enjoy taking part outside of school hours.
Participants are engaged through football sessions with staff then supporting the young people’s development off the pitch.
Premier League Kicks
Arsenal in the Community have been delivering Premier League Kicks since 2006, offering free football sessions to local boys and girls aged 8 to 18 in Islington, Camden and Hackney.
Funded by the Premier League Foundation, we use the power of football and sport to inspire young people to reach their potential in some of the most high need areas.
Our staff deliver activity on local parks and estates, outside of school hours, where young people can enjoy playing football in a safe environment, meet new people and learn new skills.
The sessions focus on fun and enjoyment rather than high level technical coaching sessions. The environment created is more akin to a youth club on a football where young people of all football abilities are welcome. Most sessions will include a warm-up, some light drills, fun games and matches.
Our staff are all FA qualified coaches and adopt youth work approaches to build trusting, professional relationships with participants where they can support their development as a young person rather than a player. Our coaches mentor the participants and offer opportunities outside of football sessions such as qualifications, volunteering placements and work opportunities. Many of our coaches are former Premier League Kicks participant’s themselves and well placed to understand the challenges facing young people today.
We have a well-established pathway of supporting participants to earn their coaching qualifications, gain practical experience and where suitable, gain employment as a PL Kicks coach.
During school holidays, additional activities such as matches, tournaments and workshops are organised whereby participants are invited to access additional activities.
Please see below the Premier League Kicks session timetable for details on where to find Premier League Kicks and how to register.
Girls Only Premier League Kicks
Girls Only Premier League Kicks is an important element of our wider Premier League Kicks programme which is funded by the Premier League Foundation.
We aim to provide a safe space for girls aged 8 to 18 where they can enjoy taking part in free football sessions with other girls, make new friends and develop their football skills.
Research has shown that there is a significant drop in the number of girls that take part in sport during their teenage. In many cases, this centres around anxieties that the girls experience in relation to a wide range of challenges such as body changes, exam stress and social pressures.
With this in mind, we deliver our activities in partnership with the Brandon Centre who are a local charity that specialise in mental health and emotional wellbeing. Girls Only Kicks sessions are delivered by Arsenal in the Community coaches who are supported by a sports psychologist from the Brandon Centre who engages the girls through youth work approaches and offers support to the participants when needed, providing them with coping strategies around anxieties and other challenges that they may be experiencing,
These sessions are all free of charge and open to girls of all football abilities.
During school holidays, additional activities such as matches, tournaments and workshops are organised whereby participants are invited to access additional activities.
See the Premier League Kicks session timetable below for details on where to find Girls Only Premier League Kicks and how to register.
Positive Futures
Through funding from Islington Council, Arsenal in the Community delivers weekly football sessions on local estates which provide safe spaces for young people aged 8 to 18 outside of school hours.
The Positive Futures programme has been delivered since 2004 years across Islington estates and over this time, engaged over 10,000 local residents . Although the programme is largely built around the delivery of football activities, the focus is more on positively engaging young people over a long-term period and supporting the participants off the pitch.
Our coaches engage with participants, in some cases over several years, building trusting relationships whereby they can mentor them as young people and support their development as a young person. Many of the Positive Futures coaches are former participants of the programme and are seen as trusted role models who are well positioned to understand the challenges facing young people in our society.
Young people take part in regular sessions, workshops, trips and personal development opportunities. These memorable experiences are valuable to the participants as they grow up and provide spaces for young people to socialise and make positive friendship groups.
These pitches are extremely valuable in Islington, where there is a real lack of green space, and we have worked closely with Islington Council for 20 years to upgrade more than 20 spaces into artificial pitches.
The sessions focus on fun and enjoyment rather than high level technical coaching sessions. The environment created is more akin to a youth club on a football where young people of all football abilities are welcome. Most sessions will include a warm-up, some light drills, fun games and matches.
Please see below the Positive Futures session timetable for details on where to find activities and how to register.
