The Premier League Charitable Fund has launched the Premier League Kicks Alumni survey, which aims to understand the impact that the Premier League's longest-running community programme has on participants.
As part of this campaign, we are telling the story of the programme through the voices of those who have taken part.
To complete the Alumni survey, click here.
Since 2006, Premier League Kicks has been supporting hundreds of thousands of young people across England and Wales, engaging them in positive activities and helping them reach their potential.
One of those people is Hafizul Haque, who has been with the Premier League's flagship community programme since its inception.
It helped him find a purpose, helped him through the loss of his father as well as giving him the opportunity to forge a career as a Premier League Kicks coach and now Youth Engagement Manager with Leyton Orient Trust.
"Premier League Kicks has inspired me, not only with the challenges that I've faced as a participant but also from my position now and working with the next generation," he says.
"With the support of the Premier League Charitable Fund, Leyton Orient Trust's Premier League Kicks programme is touching neighbourhoods and communities most vulnerable and deprived of opportunities and helping to improve life chances."
Hafizul was 10 years old when he first came across Premier League Kicks, which was delivered by Leyton Orient Trust on his estate in Tower Hamlets, east London.
"We were trying to find something to do after school, a place to hang out and kill a bit of time," he says. "By going to Premier League Kicks sessions, we were being kept away from a lot of the negative stuff that we were exposed to on our estate.
"At the time, seeing a professional football club coming to run football sessions in your estate, you're wowed, you're uplifted.
"We liked going not only because of the football but also because we were able to build a strong connection with the coaches, looking back at it now, the coaches had lived experiences, so they know some of the challenges, barriers, and difficulties that the young people are facing.
For Hafizul, those difficulties came into sharp focus when he was a teenager.
"I was going to a Premier League Kicks session when I found out my dad passed away," he says. "It hit me hard, it really knocked me back. I had stopped going to sessions for weeks and months. But eventually I decided to go along to one again.
"The coaches gave me confidence, self-belief and the sessions gave me a sense of belonging. Not only did it help keep my mind off things, but the coaches helped me cope mentally and emotionally through these Premier League Kicks sessions. It made me stronger and that's down to the coaches - they were my positive role models.
"It was a very difficult period for me and I really can't say what path I would have taken if it wasn’t for the Kicks sessions being around on my doorstep at the time. Kicks really gave me an outlet to cope through this difficult period of my life."
Guided and supported by the Leyton Orient Trust, Hafizul was able to realise his ambition to become a coach.
He had the opportunity to volunteer at Premier League Kicks, where he shadowed the coaches and helped to put on sessions. Now, Hafizul manages Leyton Orient Trust's Premier League Kicks programme delivered across various boroughs in East London.
"I've always wanted to do something within the community, within sports and coaching, and Premier League Kicks gave me that opportunity," he says. "Having the Trust around at the time and the coaches being there as my positive role models gave me that drive to explore this career path.
"For me, it's about inspiring others to get to where they want to get to in life, unlocking their purpose and creating a positive pathway. I feel privileged to do that, where I can use my position and my story to resonate with young people and help them make better choices."
The last 18 years of Premier League Kicks has involved more than 90 clubs working in partnership with local police forces in some of the most deprived areas of England and Wales.
And for Hafizul and the Leyton Orient Trust, the programme allows them to be a significant presence in those local communities, where they can be role models and mentors.
"We deliver Kicks in some of the most deprived areas across Waltham Forest, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Redbridge," he says.
"There's a lot of challenges that young people and families face - such as financial burdens, travel constraints, anti-social behaviour, violence, gang conflicts, lack of free and accessible opportunities and Premier League Kicks helps to alleviate all of that.
"Parents feel comfortable knowing they've got a provision right on their doorstep. They trust the coaches, and that they can send their children to a free, safe, secure and supervised provision.
"As for young people, we've seen that no matter what race, gender, age, ability and disability or what post code you’re from - coming to a Premier League Kicks session, that's all put to one side."
