Alan Shearer marked the 30th anniversary of his Premier League title triumph by returning to Blackburn to honour a very special young person who is inspiring others in his local community.
Shearer, who won the title in 1994/95 with Blackburn Rovers, last week made a surprise visit to the Blackburn Rovers Indoor Centre (BRIC) to present the Premier League Community Captain award to 16-year-old Vojtech, who is known to all as Billy.
Billy came to the UK from Slovakia six years ago without being able to speak any English. But with the help of Blackburn Rovers Community Trust (BRCT) and the Premier League Kicks programme, Billy has grown in confidence and has progressed from participant to volunteer coach.
And at one of the regular BRCT Premier League Kicks sessions, Billy received his Community Captain award in recognition of his commitment, enthusiasm and ability to be a role model for people across a variety of programmes.
"I don't know what to say, it's been an overwhelming day," he said. "It's incredible that so many people have done this for me. Alan Shearer is a massive name, I never would have thought that I would shake hands with someone like him. It was mind-blowing. It's massive.
"I think lots of participants already look up to me and hopefully that will increase with me getting the Community Captain award. Hopefully it will do them good and hopefully they will go on to make great life choices."
As well as his work with Premier League Kicks, Billy has been involved with other BRCT programmes such as Inclusion Football, Half-Term Football Camps and the Holiday Activity and Food Programme.
He's been on the Darwen Youth Forum, attended the Premier League Kicks Cup, completed his FA Level 1 coaching qualification, and has also signed up for the BRCT's College programme.
"It's incredible to think that at 16 years of age, I could do all this stuff," he said. "That's down to Blackburn Rovers and Premier League Kicks. Seeing the impact I have on the participants is great.
"Coming here was one of the most difficult things I had to do so far in my life. But Premier League Kicks was one of the main things that helped me through it. It helped me to get my confidence back, find myself again and helped me make friends."
As part of the Premier League's "More Than A Game" celebration, 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.
"It was great meeting Billy," Shearer said. "You can see and hear and feel the excitement that he had. It's a remarkable story from where he's come from to where he is now.
"It's so important to have role models and people like Billy in local communities because the young people that are playing football here can look up to him, give them a focus and help them feel that there's something they can work towards.
"Football has an amazing ability to give kids pathways and opportunities that they probably wouldn't think about when they were playing."
Returning to the BRIC was a special moment for Shearer, the Premier League's all-time leading goalscorer, who used to train at the site when he played for the club.
The facility is located in the shadow of Blackburn's Ewood Park home and was recently renovated with the help of a £165,000 grant from the Football Foundation, which is funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government via Sport England.
The refurbishment included installation of state-of-the-art 4G football pitches, new and improved energy-saving lighting, classrooms, ventilation and access, decoration throughout and a new entrance/reception area.
"I had four unbelievable years here and it's great being back," Shearer said. "The pitches are very different! I remember changing and training in here, when the old stand was being renovated. This was part of where our team spirit was created. Great memories.
"I remember walking down the street when I first signed for Blackburn and I got the feeling of how important football is to the community and what it means to the people here. So to have this facility, to have that safe environment for the kids to come and play here every day, brings that togetherness, brings the community together. It's great to see.
"This is an important part of what the Premier League do. Their involvement, their dedication to give that and give all these kids the opportunity to come and play in environments like this, it's fantastic."
The More Than A Game celebration highlights the positive impact of the League's unprecedented £1.6billion investment into wider football, the grassroots game and communities between 2022 and 2025.
"Everyone knows about the competitive and compelling football that we have on the pitch but fewer people probably know about the impact that we're able to have away from the 90 minutes," said Nick Perchard, Director of Community at the Premier League.
"We like to deliver programmes and develop facilities in the heart of our communities so that everyone has access to this brilliant game. We can see here in Blackburn young people coming together from different parts of town, enjoying the game but also developing key life skills, whether that's resilience, communication, teamwork, all of the things they're going to need to go on to be successful in life.
"We also have this pathway from our community programmes into the workforce. A number of the Blackburn Rovers Community Trust staff started out as programme participants and are now working for the organisation through those skills that they've developed. Creating those opportunities for young people to go on and be successful is what the programmes are all about."
What is Premier League Kicks?
Funded by the Premier League through the Premier League Charitable Fund, Premier League Kicks 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.
