"Premier League 4 Sport has created a stepping stone to
transition young people into community sport by bridging the gap
between schools and clubs."
Mike Diaper, Sport England Executive Director of Youth and
Communities
Pioneering sports participation
programme, Premier League 4 Sport (PL4S), has been extended for a
further two years after it exceeded its initial target of engaging
25,000 young people in the Olympic sports of badminton, judo, table
tennis and volleyball.
A joint venture between Sport England, the
Premier League and Youth Sport Trust, PL4S has provided 39,327
five- to 19-year-olds with the chance to try out one of the four
Olympic sports.
“Our clubs bring unique qualities to a project
like Premier League 4 Sport, and not just the power of the club
badge to attract young people’s involvement,” said Richard
Scudamore, Premier League Chief Executive. “The dedication of the
clubs and their staff to this project has ensured that PL4S has
gone way past the targets first set in 2009.
PL4S sees Premier League clubs acting as hubs
linked to community sports clubs and facilities, which in turn are
connected to local secondary schools to create satellite sports
centres. Each of the 20 clubs involved has a dedicated PL4S
coordinator working locally with the sports clubs and schools to
maximise opportunities for young people.
Funded by a £3.8 million investment from the
Premier League Creating Chances programme and £1.29 million of
investment from Sport England’s Sportmatch fund, the programme will
receive an additional £2 million over the next two years from the
Premier League to continue programme and expand it to include four
additional sports - basketball, handball, hockey and
netball.
“Premier League 4 Sport is a real success,”
said Mike Diaper, Executive Director of Youth and Communities at
Sport England. “It has created a stepping stone to transition
young people into community sport by bridging the gap between
schools and clubs. As we enter into the next phase of the
programme, it is great to see even more sports come on board. By
getting young people into community sport before they leave school
we will ensure we deliver a lasting participation legacy beyond
London 2012.”
This approach has helped expand the offer
provided by each sport. By being demand driven and with a more
informal focus, each sport has been able to appeal to a wide range
of young people who might not have had the confidence, time or
money to travel to sessions at football clubs.
“Football can be incredibly powerful in
engaging young people,” said Jeremy Hunt MP, Secretary of State for
Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport. “The Premier League
4Sport scheme has already involved tens of thousands of young
people, and has given a huge boost to grassroots sport. The extra
funding announced today by the Premier League means that the
project will be able to offer even more sports. Initiatives
like this will do a huge amount to help deliver the Government’s
plans to encourage young people to develop a sporting habit for
life.”