Young people from across Sandwell came together for the first time to take part in an Albion Foundation Premier League Kicks session.
They were joined by Albion’s Romaine Sawyers, Nathan Ferguson and Rayhaan Tulloch, who got involved in the session and helped to inspire the youngsters.
Premier League Kicks gives young people access to free football sessions, sports sessions and workshops, providing them with opportunities, support and pathways to achieve their full potential.
The Foundation has been delivering Kicks in our community for 13 years, helping to engage young people in hard-to-reach areas through the power of football.
Committing to the community programme, the Premier League will fund Kicks for the next three years, enabling more than 175,000 young people to access sessions across the country by 2022.
The programme will focus on integration, equality and inclusion, meaning thousands more girls will be engaged, and clubs will be delivering ever more inclusive sessions, something that pleases Kicks Coordinator at the Foundation, Paul Blagrove.
“Kicks is there to deliver free, positive activities to people with a disability, young girls and boys aged 8-18 across Sandwell,” said Paul.
Albion’s Rayhaan Tulloch has previously attended some of the charity’s Kicks sessions as a participant and, upon his return, was impressed with the impact it has.
“It’s been fun. It’s been different because it brings a lot of different people from different parts of the area together, it’s a nice thing to bring everyone closer together,” Rayhaan said.
Fans' favourite and local lad Romaine Sawyers stressed how crucial the inclusivity aspect of the programme is.
“Growing up you would have seen different types of backgrounds, male, female, disabled and non-disabled, so pushing this message out is so important,” said Romaine.
Elliot Powell, 15, has autism and was attending his first-ever Kicks session, and he says he’s excited to return.
“I really enjoyed it, it was a great game and I’m looking forward to coming back again,” said Elliot.
To find out more about The Albion Foundation’s Kicks sessions, click here.