As part of the Premier League's ongoing “More Than A Game” initiative, renowned actor, filmmaker and activist Idris Elba visited a Premier League Kicks session in Dagenham, east London.
He was joined by West Ham United head coach Graham Potter and captain Jarrod Bowen to hear from young people about the vital work being done through the Premier League Kicks programme to provide participants with safe places to play and positive opportunities that help them fulfil their potential.
Watch Idris Elba’s visit
Keeping young people safe starts with giving them opportunities to thrive.
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 11, 2025
Idris Elba visits @westham’s Premier League Kicks to see how their sessions create safe spaces, mentorship, and a positive path for young people.
Every young person deserves a future #PLMoreThanAGame pic.twitter.com/E5KRp9a0Mp
The Premier League and its clubs are currently celebrating 'More Than A Game', which is highlighting the positive impact of the League's unprecedented £1.6 billion investment into wider football, the grassroots game and communities between 2022 and 2025.
This includes funding for community projects run by 164 professional and non-league clubs. Support is provided for people of all ages who need it most, with funding distributed to non-league, grassroots and women’s clubs to enhance stadium facilities for players and fans.
Premier League Kicks is one of the programmes to have benefitted from this investment. Launched in 2006 in partnership with the Metropolitan Police to create safer and more inclusive communities, it is the League's longest-running community programme.
Free weekly football sessions are delivered by 93 clubs across the Premier League, EFL and National League to young people in high-need areas under the supervision of trusted adult role models.
These sessions enable participants to speak to club coaches about societal issues that impact them, including youth violence and knife crime. Since its inception, Premier League Kicks has provided over one million hours of free sessions, engaging more than 550,000 participants.
Having met with Premier League Kicks participants and coaches to discuss their experiences and the impact of the programme, Elba said: "It's incredible witnessing what the Premier League Kicks programme has done and how it engages young people. I asked the young people what they feel about it and they said: 'It keeps us part of a team.'
"That sense of belonging is important. You never know what any of these kids are going through at home, what their environment is, but here feels like family. It really did resonate."
During his visit to the Bobby Moore Sports Hub in Parsloes Park, Dagenham, Elba was joined by Potter, Bowen and West Ham United Women’s player Princess Ademiluyi in a presentation to Arran Johny, who was recognised as the club's Community Captain.
As part of 'More Than A Game', over 100 football clubs throughout the Premier League, EFL and National League are celebrating their Community Captain - an individual who has made a significant contribution to their Premier League-funded programmes and society.
West Ham nominated Premier League Kicks Coach Johny, who joined the club's Foundation seven years ago as an apprentice and quickly progressed to a coaching role.
Johny has also established the Jigsaw Mentoring Programme while leading the MyEnds project, both aimed at supporting young people at risk of criminal activity.
"The work we do brings the community together," Johny said. "We work with young people to help them understand we are all the same and that there are opportunities for them. I’m really proud of what we do and to have won this award."
The Community Captain presentation was followed by a practitioner-led roundtable that provided a platform to discuss the major challenges facing young people in their communities and the interventions being implemented to address these issues.
Elba, who is actively campaigning against knife crime, was joined by Commander Stephen Clayman, Head of Central Specialist Crime at Metropolitan Police and National Policing lead for knife crime; Superintendent Simon Rotherham, the National Deputy Lead for Children and Young People Policing; Clare Sumner, Premier League Chief Policy and Social Impact Officer; and Martin Ingham-Griffith, Premier League Charitable Fund Head of Community Engagement.
Also present were Premier League Kicks staff from Aston Villa Foundation, City in the Community, Liverpool FC Foundation, West Ham United Foundation and QPR in the Community Trust. They shared their insights on how the programme is giving young people a positive pathway and a chance to engage with peers on topics that matter to them.
"We run a great football competition but we're so much more than the 90 minutes on the pitch," said Clare Sumner. "Through programmes like Premier League Kicks, we are giving opportunities to young people.
"Football brings them together and they can also meet mentors and talk to people about the issues that they are facing - that's what changes lives."