Representatives from the Derby County Community Trust and Wigan Athletic’s Premier League Kicks programme had a kickabout on Saturday to raise awareness for Kick It Out.
The event took place prior to Derby’s 1-0 Sky Bet Championship victory over Wigan at the DW Stadium, with Bradley Johnson scoring the winner early on for the Rams.Premier League Kicks is one of the Premier League's flagship community programmes and looks to engage youngsters in constructive activities, including a wide variety of sports, coaching, music and educational sessions.
Eight young people from the Community Trust’s Aldercar sessions made the trip to Wigan Youth Zone to take part in the five-a-side event.
The two teams mixed on arrival and got involved in a series of informal friendly matches, with the main aim being to raise awareness of equality and inclusion organisation, Kick It Out.
Kick it Out work throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices and campaign for positive change, the organisation is funded by The Football Association (FA), the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the Premier League and The English Football League (EFL).
Following the five-a-side event, all participants go the chance to visit the DW Stadium where they watched Derby claim all three points.
Community Engagement Officer at Community Trust, Gavin Lewis, said: “It was a brilliant day. The staff, team and all participants really enjoyed themselves.
“Our thanks go to the Wigan Athletic Community Trust for inviting us down. We look forward to continuing our working partnership moving forward.”
Premier League Kicks offers free football and multi-sport sessions to young people aged between 9-18.
If you are interested and want to get involved, please visit: derbycountycommunitytrust.com/inclusion/schedule.
To find out more about Kick It Out, please visit: kickitout.org.
