A successful Premier League football programme has been expanded into two new communities in Essex. Colchester United Community Foundation already runs Premier League Kicks, a programme creating opportunities for young people from high-need areas and those at risk of antisocial behaviour or youth violence, in Clacton and Shrub End, Colchester. Now, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex (PFCC) has contributed £18,495 to the foundation through a crime and disorder reduction grant from the 2026 Community Safety Development Fund to expand the project into Witham and Mile End in Colchester.
PFCC Support for Youth Engagement
PFCC Roger Hirst MBE said: "It goes without saying that bored youngsters are at greater risk of finding unhealthy, unsafe or illegal activities to occupy their spare time. In the absence of any positive outlets, some are bound to find themselves on a path to antisocial behaviour or crime. That is why opportunities like Premier League Kicks are so vital in our fight to keep the streets of Essex safe. Providing free sporting sessions to young people goes a long way in giving them that positive focus, putting them in front of adult role models, making friends with shared interests - all the things that will hold their attention and support them to build a healthy lifestyle."
Session Details and Schedule
The Kicks programme is now up and running from 5.30pm to 6.30pm on Mondays at The Gilberd School in Colchester, and from 8pm to 9pm on Fridays at Witham Sports Centre. The sessions, in place for the next year, are open access for anyone aged 11 to 17 who is interested in getting involved.
Addressing Community Needs
Louis Garbett, head of health and inclusion, said: "Through our communication with the police and the PFCC, we identified there is a need for our already successful Kicks programme to be expanded into these two new areas. At the times we will put on the open access football sessions and be engaging with these young people, there are not a lot of other resources open to them. There is, therefore, a high chance they would go out and get bored with nothing to do, so might end up mucking around and doing things that are not particularly safe. We will be able to improve those behaviours, so throughout the rest of the week, they will be more conscious of what they are doing."
Building Positive Relationships
"Our coaches get to know the young people, and we find they open up and tell us if they are getting into trouble. They are pretty honest with us. With those positive relationships, it can put them off getting involved in trouble as they won't want to have to admit it to their coach."
Beyond Football: Workshops and Life Skills
With football acting as the hook to get young people's attention, the sessions also focus on issues such as social behaviours, positive communication, resilience and racism. Louis said: "It is about reinforcing positive messages throughout the sessions. We start the sessions with a 15-minute workshop, and then it is straight into the open-access football. They are getting to exercise and play football with their mates, creating positive relationships while having professional coaching by role models who are not their parents or their schoolteachers. The young people tell us the workshops are not like anything they have at school, so they are getting new perspectives on things. We really do see the impact this has on young people. All of this comes from a free football session."
Funding Impact and Future Plans
Of the PFCC funding, Louis said: "The PFCC wants to grant money into projects that are going to be successful. They have seen our work already and helped us with data to show where the money needs to be invested in future. Without the money from the PFCC, we would not be able to expand this successful programme. The funding gives us an opportunity to engage with communities we would not normally be able to engage with. It allows more people to see the great work we put in. Hopefully, by expanding Kicks into different areas, word of mouth will spread information about Premier League Kicks and our Community Foundation." Young people will get the opportunity to compete in a national Premier League Kicks tournament against other clubs. To sign your child up for Premier League Kicks, email louis.garbett@colchesterunited.net.
