LONDON — The Premier League announced £900,000 ($1,226,686.50) in funding for programs designed to strengthen relationships between professional football clubs, police and local communities across England and Wales, the league announced.
Forty-nine club charities from the Premier League and English Football League will receive funding for Police Partnerships projects with local police forces. Police and other public agencies will provide additional funding, bringing the total investment to more than £2 million ($2,725,970).
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The programs will focus on young people considered at risk of becoming involved in crime, antisocial behavior or violence, the league stated. Initiatives will include one-on-one mentoring, educational workshops and activities intended to improve trust between police and communities.
Projects will also address issues including knife crime and violence against women and girls.
Programs will be delivered through Premier League Kicks, which provides young people with free football and other sports sessions, mentoring and educational workshops.
Several club charities will work together on regional projects. Six clubs in Lancashire will coordinate programs with local police, while 11 London clubs will work with London’s Violence Reduction Unit. Five South Yorkshire club charities will collaborate on programs addressing youth violence, antisocial behavior and violence against women and girls.
The funding builds on a 2023-25 pilot program in which the Premier League and police forces jointly invested more than £1 million ($1,362,985) in local communities.
The Premier League Foundation will distribute the new funding and work with police forces across England and Wales to support the projects.
