For many people in Hartlepool, Bianca Owens is a inspirational figure in their lives.
She works as a coach for Hartlepool United Community Sports Foundation, offering support and guidance through Premier League programmes and funds to improve mental and physical wellbeing and to promote a healthy lifestyle for participants of all ages.
And in recognition of her commitment and contribution to her local community, Bianca was this week named as Hartlepool United's Premier League Community Captain at a special event attended by first-team player Joe Grey.
"I am honoured to have been chosen as the Community Captain for Hartlepool United," Bianca said. "The work that football club foundations do within their local communities is so important for the physical and mental wellbeing of so many people and the support provided by the Premier League to enable this great work is vital.
"I will continue to work hard to provide opportunities for those living in and around Hartlepool to live happier and healthier lives through our programmes."
The award ceremony took place at St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, where as a sport and wellbeing coach, Bianca delivers Premier League Primary Stars, the League's primary school education programme, which uses the appeal of football to inspire children aged five-to eleven to be active and develop essential skills.
Bianca motivates and inspires young children to spend more time together and take part in football and physical activity.
She also leads local women's and girls' activity, promoting positive health and wellbeing in the community.
As well as this, Bianca works with the Hartlepool United Dementia Group, which is funded by the Premier League Fans Fund.
With this group, she creates a positive impact addressing people's mental health needs while running activities ranging from chair exercises to arts and crafts and a walking group for more active members.
"The commitment and efforts of Bianca Owens have been outstanding as part of Premier League Primary Stars and Premier League Fans Fund delivering quality activities to both children and adults," said Keith Nobbs, Hartlepool United Community Sports Foundation manager.
"The award is testament to all their hard work and dedication to helping improve our local community."
Bianca's Community Captain award is part of the Premier League's More than a game celebration, which highlights the positive impact of Premier League investment into communities and clubs at every level of football throughout the year.
The Premier League is investing £1.6 billion into wider football and communities between 2022 and 2025 to support football at every level of the game across England and Wales. This world-leading funding into clubs, communities and facilities positively impacts and inspires millions of people.
This investment includes an investment package of £12.6million to support clubs such as Hartlepool United in the National League.
A sum of £9m is available to support the 72 National League Clubs with running costs and sustainability while a further £3.6m will be available via the Premier League and Professional Footballers' Association's partnership to support the National League Trust and the network of club community organisations like the Hartlepool United Community Sports Foundation.
"It is so important that we continue to recognise and collectively highlight the positive impact that work within local communities has, championing those at the heart of Premier League-funded initiatives," said Nick Perchard, Premier League Director of Community.
"Success on the pitch enables the Premier League to share unparallelled investment into communities and football at all levels across England and Wales."
About Premier League Primary Stars
Premier League Primary Stars is the Premier League's primary school education programme, using the appeal of football to support children to be active and develop essential life skills. It is available to every primary school in England and Wales, with over 19,000 schools engaged with the programme. More than 1.3million school sessions and events have already been delivered.
Funded by the Premier League, through the Premier League Charitable Fund, the programme has enabled over 70,000 teachers to use resources for English, PSHE, PE and Maths, to help children to be active and develop essential life skills. There are 650+ free resources available.
To find out more about delivering the programme in your school, please visit plprimarystars.com.
