Crystal Palace midfielder Conor Gallagher took part in a special event this week to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Premier League Kicks community programme.
PL Kicks started in 2006 and is the league’s flagship community programme, using the power of football and sport to inspire young people in high-need areas across England and Wales. The sessions consist of football and other sports and give young people a safe space to have fun with their friends. To celebrate the milestone, Gallagher spoke at an event on Tuesday with the Palace for Life Foundation at the club’s academy, getting a chance to see first-hand how the programme has impacted some of the young people in London since its launch.
Palace for Life has been running free Kicks sessions for young south Londoners for a decade, thanks to funding from the Premier League. In that time, approximately 8,848 young people have participated in the sessions, with more than 12,500 hours of free activity delivered across south London thanks to the programme.
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“These programmes are very special,” said 22-year-old Gallagher. “I think it’s so important for [young people] to have a place to go and play sport with other kids, to express themselves and have fun.” He added: “This is my first [community visit] this season so I’m glad to see them and show my face, show what it means and how important [programmes like Kicks] are, and that it’s a great thing for them to do. Hopefully, they can come back, and it carries on.”
And if attendees at Premier League Kicks need to find any inspiration that they could take their sport to the next level, then they need look little further than the confines of the Crystal Palace training ground and Wilfried Zaha. The Thornton-Heath born winger attended PL Kicks sessions as a youngster and is now one of the most recognisable players operating in the top flight.
“Wilf was part of Kicks, so it’s amazing to see where he is today,” added Gallagher. “He’s a top player, and the career he’s had and having still, it’s amazing. There’s probably the next Wilfried Zaha in [the sessions] now!”
As part of the 15th-anniversary celebrations, all clubs involved in the programme were asked to nominate someone who has taken part in, volunteered at or worked on the programme and has positively impacted hundreds of people in their community. Palace’s ‘Local Legend’ nominee was Senior Community Development Coordinator Jamie Broughton, who first started with Premier League Kicks in 2007 as a participant before beginning his volunteering with Palace for Life in 2013.
There, Broughton gained his FA Level One coaching badges and has since become a full-time Senior Community Development Coordinator as well as being the head coach for the Crystal Palace Under-21 women’s team.
“Being nominated as Palace’s ‘Local Legend’ is humbling,” said Broughton. “Premier League Kicks has been a massive part of my journey for such a long time, and Palace gave me the opportunity to be involved within football full time. Now, it’s all about giving this next generation of young people their platform to go and achieve their dreams and realise their potential.”
For more information on the Palace for Life Foundation and Premier League Kicks, click here.
