Premier League Kicks uses the power of football to help engage young people in some of the most high-need areas of England and Wales - but it is far more than just a football programme.
As well as offering weekly positive activities for participants on the pitch, Premier League Kicks gives support, direction and opportunities off it.
And it is the work of John Richardson, a sessional PL Kicks coach at the Preston North End Community and Education Trust, that highlights how the programme delivers this guidance to young people.
Not only does John help coach young people at weekly sessions, he also uses the powerful story of his formative years to warn others about the realities of getting into trouble and spending time in prison.
"My inspiration is getting kids off the streets and keeping them out of trouble," he says.
"I had a rough upbringing so if I can engage with and build relationships with young people, then that's my job done.
"When I was a kid, I did not think I'd be here at this moment, telling my life story. I was lucky to get out of the system and now I am able to help other people.
"I'm glad I'm here. I've done some bad things in the past but I can now use that to engage with young people and hopefully keep them off that path before they get on it."
John started to get in trouble with the police when he was only 13.
"I was hanging around with the wrong crowd," he says. "I lived in a couple of deprived areas in Preston where there is nothing for the kids to do. So they turn to crime.
"As kids we'd be thinking, 'What shall we do?' We would smash a window and get a police chase for a little bit. If we get caught, we get caught, but that was our life."
So began a lifestyle and series of events that led to John being in and out of juvenile and adult prison for the rest of his teenage years.
But in 2019, John met Preston North End Community and Education Trust coaches and this gave him the opportunity to turn his life around.
He started to volunteer with the Trust and became a sessional coach, not only helping out at weekly PL Kicks sessions but also telling others about his experiences.
"It's surreal seeing a room full of kids in front of me while I'm telling my story," he says.
"We do a lot of outreach work around Preston and it's a lot easier to do that wearing the badge. When the young people see me, they come over and shake my hand.
"We've been able to build those relationships and because of that, they will talk to us."
Preston North End are one of 89 professional football clubs that run PL Kicks across England and Wales, helping thousands of young people reach their potential since it launched in 2006.
And John believes that if he had been involved with PL Kicks as a youngster, his story would have been a lot different.
"I had nothing like this," he says. "I had no-one to turn to and I turned to criminality. If they can turn to me and tell me their problems and I can help them out, then it's all good."
Premier League Kicks, funded by the Premier League through the Premier League Charitable Fund, uses the power of football and sport to inspire young people to reach their potential, in some of the most high-need areas in England and Wales.
More than half a million people have benefited to date.
