The foundation of Liverpool Football Club has teamed up with kit provider Nike to launch a new programme aimed at helping more local young people access and benefit from sport and physical activity.
‘Game On’ will specifically support young people aged seven to 12 from marginalised communities – including children from the Black and Asian community, girls and children of all abilities – by providing them with opportunities to become members of local, diverse sports clubs and play a variety of sports, including boxing, tennis, cricket, athletics, basketball, cycling, basketball, gymnastics and much more.
MARGINALISED
The programme will also involve the creation of a new coaching academy, which will inspire participants to play and coach sports, creating opportunities for a lifelong pathway. The academy will also have a specific focus on recruiting from marginalised communities to help remove any barriers to sport that may exist.
The LFC Foundation will mentor the coaches and provide them with work experience and training opportunities across Liverpool Football Club and through local grassroots clubs.
Matt Parish, chief executive at LFC Foundation, said: “We are so proud to be working with Nike on this exciting new programme because we are both driven by a passion for sports and a desire to help young people thrive and become the best possible versions of themselves through the power of sport.
“Game On absolutely encompasses this ambition by creating talent pathways for participants and coaches, and making sport a real career option by removing barriers to opportunity.”
Dan Burrows, Nike’s Senior Director of Social & Community Impact EMEA, added: “Play and sport can have a positive, life-long impact on kids.
COMMUNITIES
“But not all kids get the opportunity to participate. Girls and kids from marginalised communities face additional barriers, including a lack of diverse opportunities to engage in play and sport as well as fewer coaches or role models who look like them.
“Our partnership with LFC Foundation represents a unique opportunity to tackle these challenges head on and provide more kids with opportunities to access and benefit from play and sport. By inspiring and enabling all kids to play, we’re working to create a more equitable future.”
To find out more, visit liverpoolfc.com/gameon.
