How Wrexham's Community Captain inspires children in the classroom

When Josh Evans turned up for work as normal at Borras Park Primary School in north Wales last week, he thought it was to lead on activities as part of his role as Premier League Primary Stars programme officer for the Wrexham AFC Foundation.

Little did Josh know that he was in for a very special surprise.

As well as the usual activities of assemblies and lessons, Josh was presented with the club's Premier League Community Captain award for his dedication to both the Foundation and to the young people in his local community.

"I've seen some of the people who have received the Community Captain award over the last couple of years  and following their stories has been really inspiring," he says. "To receive the award was a big shock. It was a proud feeling that someone's recognised me in the same light.

Watch Josh's Community Captain presentation

"I don't think I'm a special person. A lot of people do something similar to me day-to-day. The team I work with are unbelievable and there are so many people who deserve this award."

Josh has been with Wrexham for the last 10 years after joining the club as an 18-year-old. Initially he was a football coach but his career with the Foundation started to change after he impressed when working as a volunteer in a primary school.

He soon progressed to become a full-time member of staff at the Foundation and has helped deliver the Premier League Primary Stars programme since it began in 2017.

"Premier League Primary Stars has been an important part of my life; it has given me a job and it has also given me the opportunity to prove myself," he says.

"We are always thinking about what we are learning and how we can improve. I go to national programme conferences, there's networking and report writing. The programme has pushed me and challenged me."

As well as having a significant impact on him, Josh sees every week how the programme's resources are being used to engage pupils in the classroom.

An example of that engagement was highlighted on the day of his Community Captain presentation when Josh led an intervention lesson for some young people who are struggling with literacy.

"The children have been working on producing a page on a subject of their choice for a magazine and we got them to read their page to some younger pupils," Josh says. "It was so nice to see that impact of them sharing their successes and being proud of it.

"It empowers them, they're connecting with other people. It's inspiring them to think that maybe they can progress, go into journalism or read a little bit more. It can be the simplest bit of impact that makes the biggest difference - that's the beauty of it.

"It is something special which ignites interest and leads to so much more."

Over the last eight years, Premier League Primary Stars has used the appeal of football to inspire primary-aged children to be active and develop essential skills.

More than 100 clubs across England and Wales deliver Premier League Primary Stars in over 19,000 schools, supporting pupils in the classroom, the playground and on the sports field.

"For schools, it provides that spark, that excitement," Josh says. "We enrich learning. We're not doing anything teachers haven't done before but what we do inspires children differently. It takes things to the next level.

"Take last week for example, when you bring the Premier League Trophy and all the branding. When you bring all those wonderful things which we can offer as a club it really enriches the school's experience.

"There are going to be children who are going to have that memory of seeing the trophy for the rest of their lives. I'm happy and proud of what will come from that.

"Schools are struggling in terms of resources and, without Premier League Primary Stars, children would be missing out on some life-changing experiences."

Josh is one of more than 100 Community Captains being recognised throughout the Premier League, EFL and National League for making a significant contribution to their Premier League-funded programmes and society.

This is part of the Premier League's 'More Than A Game' celebration, 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.