Every year, the Premier League Inspires Challenge empowers young people from across England and Wales to develop social action projects that positively impact the world around them. The theme of this year's challenge is gender equality.
Over the last few months, school teams representing more than 40 professional football club community organisations have been showcasing their Premier League Inspires Challenge projects in club-based heats.
The winners of each heat now have the opportunity to represent their club and exhibit their gender equality project at a special Premier League Inspires celebration event today at Wembley Stadium.
One of the schools taking part is The Oldham Academy North (TOAN) in Greater Manchester.
From five-a-side matches to ball mastery workshops and assemblies, TOAN pupils' dedication to promoting gender equality and creating safe spaces in schools for young girls to enjoy football led to them earning the honour of representing Manchester United.
We caught up with pupils Alexandra, Mwezi and Chloe and Manchester United Foundation Schools Partnership Officer Joe, who share why gender equality is important, their reflections from the heats, and what Premier League Inspires means to them.
Alexandra
"It was a shock to win. We were under time pressure, but we tried our hardest and put our all into it, making sure our project was really in line with the theme of gender equality.
"We see that football is mostly a male dominated sport, so we thought opening up that opportunity for young girls would be amazing.
"What inspired me most was the fact that not many people know about gender equality. I don't think it's raised enough - people should know more about it. Just to know that I can raise awareness to young girls and boys, that makes a big difference.
"My favourite part of the challenge so far was delivering, because I could see my work come together. We’ve planned this for so many weeks now, and to finally be able to tell everybody about our project has just been amazing.
"It's taught me that everyone can be included in sport. It's not just for men, but for women, for everyone.
"For the finals, I'm looking forward to seeing more young people in our generation standing up for gender equality. Making sure they know their place in sport and knowing the importance of being included, not just in sport, in other things too."
Mwezi
"We've shown that football is a sport for everybody, not just for men. The most important thing from being part of the challenge is the importance of gender equality in sports.
"Taking part in the challenge has improved my communication a lot and it's also taught me to be confident at speaking.
"The biggest challenge was presenting to a lot of people. I felt nervous at the start but once I got to my second presentation, it felt natural.
"I like football a lot, and not too long before the challenge, I was coaching younger children. I taught them how to dribble, pass and work on their technique. I helped them if they had any misconceptions. It was from doing this that I thought I would be good at taking part in the challenge."
Chloe
"It doesn't feel real to win the heat. Diamonds are made under pressure!
"I was inspired to take part in the Premier League Inspires Challenge because I've dealt with gender inequality myself and it's something other young people can relate to. I knew our project was something that was achievable because of this.
"Our project inspires young girls to really get to know what goes into football.
"I liked seeing how although we all have the same determination of breaking inequality and stereotypes, the teams approached their projects in different ways. It’s really beautiful how great minds come together and configure something like that.
"Premier League Inspires has taught me that the issue of gender inequality is something we can come together for. It's not a journey that we have to face alone. You're not isolated, there’s always someone fighting for the same cause you’re fighting for.
"I'm looking forward to the competition at the finals. It'll really motivate me to see other people striving towards the same goal."
Joe, Schools Partnership Officer at Manchester United Foundation
"The team have worked really, really hard for this. We meet up twice a week in the mornings during their form time. They put a lot of hours and dedication into the project - how it looked, how it was presented.
"Sport has so many benefits and we want every girl to understand those benefits and find a sport that suits them.
"Taking part in the Premier League Inspires Challenge will give them skills for life and confidence in themselves. I don’t think they've ever presented in front of peers or that many people before. It gives students an opportunity they may not usually have.
"Winning a project like this is going to give them the backing that they need to say 'you know what? We've done this, we've developed it, we've come up with the idea, presented it and won something.' There’s no more higher praise than that - to know they've done something that is of such a good standard that it’s won a competition.
"The team really complement each other massively. They've grown stronger and stronger every session.
"It's about giving our students the opportunity to feel the reward in giving back to the community and local primary schools - it's a very empowering feeling.
"Being at a club like Manchester United, being in the stadium, it elevates the whole thing. The first thing they do when they walk in is see the big pitch. It boosts what it means to be here and gives high importance to an already incredible initiative. It's surreal."
What is Premier League Inspires?
Premier League Inspires uses the appeal of football to help children and young people aged 11-to-18 to develop the personal skills and positive attitude to succeed in life. More than 30,000 young people have received more than 130,000 hours of targeted support across 1000+ schools and educational facilities since the programme's launch in 2019.
The programme is delivered by 45 professional football club community organisations and is supported by the Professional Footballers' Association and the Premier League. More than £14.5m has been invested into the programme, via the Premier League Charitable Fund.