Community development through football
Premier Skills combines the reach of the British Council with the global appeal of the Premier League to use football to develop a brighter future for young people around the world.
Drawing upon the Premier League’s expertise, the community coaching programme tackles a variety of social issues, such as health, disability, gender, inclusion and education.
In addition to coaching, a range of materials, including a dedicated website, have been created for teachers and learners of English that utilise football-based content and the British Council’s world-class expertise in English.
There is also a community project element based on the Premier League’s highly successful UK Kickz programme, linking UK community projects run by Premier League clubs to similar projects in other countries, building long-term partnerships that aim to change the lives of thousands of people.
Premier Skills has already delivered tremendous impact in 22 countries across Asia, Africa and the Americas. Since 2007 it has created training opportunities benefiting 2,300 grassroots coaches and referees who in turn have reached more than 400,000 young people.
Premier Skills in Kenya
In Kenya, the programme concentrates on face-to-face training for coaches and referees, using highly skilled coaches and referee trainers from the English Premier League and its clubs. The participants are then supported in developing their own community-focused football projects. Participants are drawn from the communities of Kwale, Msambweni, Nairobi, Kuresoi, Njoro, Olmoran, Transkuria, Likia, Rongo, Kisumu, Sotik, Mt.Elgon and Mawego.
'I believe it is a good event for us Kenyans as it helps to develop our practical skills, improve our communication skills and to be active citizens in the community. It also enables us to be good coaches and coach educators.' – Joseph Makokha, Premier Skills participant