'PL Kicks gives young people chance to succeed'

Ian Corner and Mark Pae have been part of Premier League Kicks since it started 10 years ago, working for the Foundation of Light to help young people in Sunderland and Chester-Le-Street, Co Durham, realise their potential.

Their work has been acknowledged with the pair becoming Sunderland AFC's Premier League Kicks Heroes.

Here they explain what the scheme means to them.

Mark: PL Kicks was one of new initiatives being launched when I joined the Foundation 10 years ago so I was paired with Ian to work in Sunderland. The programme was going that well it was launched in other parts of the region; I was asked to set up one in Chester Le Street and I have been part of it ever since.

Ian: On our first night around 50 young people turned up. It's quite a shock, especially when you don't know them. You are not sure what to expect. I got a buzz that night and I knew that there was some chemistry between the area that we worked in and the young people and it's just gone from strength to strength.

Mark: What those areas can offer youngsters is very limited or nothing so there is a need to provide a very different type of programme. Not all young people like sport, not all young people want to take part in arts and crafts, and we offer a combination of both.

It's a place where young people can go and feel safe; parents know that too. Our sessions are on at the same time every week so there's consistency for those young people and their families.

See: Mark and Ian's PL Kicks Heroes comic strip

Ian: If PL Kicks was not around there would be a lot more crime and anti-social behaviour. Boredom would creep in and it would start again. The police have told us no anti-social behaviour is committed on the evenings that PL Kicks is running. That's nice to know.

Mark: Everything that we offer is led by young people. They help shape what we do and have a big say in the programme. We've had young people who have engaged with us when they were eight and are now at university, if it didn't work they wouldn't be back week after week.

Ian: We work with some people who have fallen out of the education system; they have low aspirations in terms of what they want to do when they leave school. Over time, because we give them opportunities to succeed in a safe environment, you can see their confidence flourish.

They may go to college, university or gain an apprenticeship, which they would have had no ambition to do when they started the programme. For a lot of them, they are the first in their family to be able to achieve something like that.

Mark: It was very surprising being named a Premier League Kicks Hero. We weren't expecting it whatsoever and I am very honoured. I am delighted to share it with Ian because he deserves it also.

Ian: It's brilliant that we have been recognised for what we have done but I don't like to think of myself as a hero. If we didn't have the backing of the Foundation of Light, and the support of the Premier League, we wouldn't have achieved it.

The rewarding part is the young people who keep coming back to the project. They want to become peer mentors and volunteers. I'd like to think they would look up to Mark and I and say, 'You have helped us get here, we want to give something back.'