From delivering activity packs to children during the pandemic to championing girls' football and acting as a mentor, Graham Goodden, above left, has had a positive and far-reaching impact on Brentford's local community.
Goodden's involvement with Brentford FC Community Sports Trust spans 19 years, and his work helping others has been recognised as he is named Brentford's Community Captain in honour of his dedication to improving the opportunities and wellbeing of others in west London.
He has received the accolade as part of the Premier League's “More than a game” campaign, which is showcasing how its wide-ranging investment into all levels of football enables people connected to clubs to have a positive impact on their local communities.
"I feel incredibly proud to be named Community Captain," Goodden told the club's official website after being presented with the award by Brentford forward Keane Lewis-Potter. "It’s a privilege to be in the position to receive this award and it is a reflection of the work the Communities Engagement team does at the Trust."
Graham Goodden named Community Captain
In his role as senior manager for Communities Engagement at the Trust, Goodden delivers the Premier League Kicks Girls' Programme and other key community engagement schemes, including the Twinning Project, Hounslow Youth Service and Street Sports.
His involvement with the Trust's "Bee at Home" campaign also provided more than 600 activity packs, including a foam ball, skipping rope, cones and a range of physical/educational resources to local children across west London.
Understanding the importance that football is a game for all, Goodden has overseen the growth of Brentford's PL Kicks since it was piloted in 2006, and helped to engage with 1,329 unique participants through the programme in 2023 alone.
In the past 18 years, Premier League Kicks has engaged more than 520,000 young people, delivering over 1m hours of free sessions at 4,900+ venues across England and Wales.
Sessions take place in some of the most high-need areas, and Brentford are one of 90 clubs currently delivering the programme.
Goodden has most recently mentored the Trust's newest member of staff, Sam McMaster, who has gone from being a participant on the Kicks programme through to being a volunteer and now paid member of staff.
Indeed, more than 21,000 volunteers have helped on Kicks, 93 per cent of whom are former participants, with 20 per cent of the workforce being former participants.
“Every year we work with thousands of people in the community, not least through the Premier League Kicks programme, and I’d like to pay tribute to the Premier League for this award and the support they provide in our delivery," Goodden added.
"Whilst I have been nominated for this accolade, it is the work of the wider team past and present and project partners that make everything possible across the Communities Engagement area of work. I’d like to say a huge thank you to all those involved."