Premier League Unveils 2012 Scheme

The Premier League has launched a new £3.8m community initiative in partnership with the government to offer young people the opportunity to get involved with under-developed Olympic sports in the run-up to London 2012.

The ‘Premier League 4 Sport’ scheme with see all 20 clubs in football’s top flight link up with community sport clubs to help attract young people in their local area and offer them opportunities in badminton, judo, table tennis and volleyball.

The initiative will help the government’s ambition to offer young people five hours of sport a week, as part of its 2012 legacy plans. It will also address the drop-off in sport participation when young people leave secondary school.

Working with the sports governing bodies, the Youth Sport Trust and Sport England the Premier League clubs aim to get 25,000 young people, aged between 11 and 16, to join local sport clubs in the four Olympic sports during the three-year scheme.

Each Premier League club will be linked to four community sport clubs in their local area which will work in partnership with the football club.

The 80 community sport clubs will be linked to four secondary schools in the area creating a total of 320 satellite clubs. Each Premier League club will appoint a project co-ordinator who will manage the scheme locally and work with clubs and school sport departments to maximise opportunities for young people.

The community clubs and schools will benefit from the strength and use of the Premier League clubs’ brand.

Premier League 4 Sport will build on the success of the Premier League’s current community programme and aims to get children from all backgrounds involved in non-traditional, club-based sport.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham and Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore launched the ‘Premier League 4 Sport’ scheme at Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground in Chigwell, Essex.