Premier League invests record £45m in community

Posted on 15th March 2012

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Creating Chances highlights the good work done by top-flight clubs in the heart of their communities. £45m was spent last year by the Premier League supporting initiatives that benefited an impressive 4.5m people. This funding also benefits clubs outside of the top-flight via the Football Foundation, projects like Kickz, and schemes encouraging sports participation and healthy lifestyles.

The 64-page report celebrates the work that the Premier League clubs deliver at the heart of their communities in five key areas: community cohesion, sport participation, health, education and international. There are handy ‘Guides To…’ for each of the major initiatives like Premier League 4 Sport, Kickz, Imagine Your Goals and Premier League Reading Stars.

The Foreword to Creating Chances 2011 has been written by the Prime Minister David Cameron, who has hailed the work of the Premier League and its clubs in improving the lives of millions. He also praised football’s ability to connect with young people in a different way to politicians.

The PM said: “Football has a unique power to connect with young people in such a positive way. It can help change lives for the better. The health benefits of the sport are obvious but it also reaches deep into communities, helping to deliver strong social cohesion as well as boosting people’s self-esteem.

“Creating Chances uses the pull of the most popular League on the planet to encourage people to get involved in sport. It also puts people in some of our most disadvantaged communities on the road into employment as well as helping teach youngsters vital life skills.”

Over the last four years, Creating Chances has invested £157 million into community activities, benefiting 18.5 million people. 32% of Creating Chances attendees are female, and 28% are from black or ethnic minority backgrounds. There are now more than 1,600 community staff employed by clubs and a further 1,874 volunteers working on Premier League programmes.

But statistics only tell part of the story. Within the report are the stories of the people and organisations whose lives and work are directly affected by Creating Chances; the coaches, the health organisations, the teachers, the many charities, the police officers, the Government Departments, the young and the old.

Over the course of the season it is the players and managers who mainly get the headlines, but behind them is the work of Creating Chances that is changing lives thanks to the power of football.