Playing for Success (PfS) is the Premier League's flagship education project having been the sole sporting partner when the scheme first started over ten years ago. Now there are 18 different sports represented in PfS with almost 160 centres open.

PfS hinges on a partnership between the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), Local Authorities and sports clubs and the centres are vibrant and exciting places for young people to learn. Located within the football stadiums themselves, the centres are decked out in posters, wallcharts and other visually stimulating material related to the club. All help to provide the youngsters who take part with the necessary interest to learn key subjects through the context of football.

It has been another busy year for PfS in the Premier League with all the clubs expanding and diversifying the education programmes that they offer. Arsenal's Double Club project has continued to grow, with 15 clubs now involved and other sports such as cricket and rugby union now replicating the innovative model. Clubs have also been improving their facilities, with Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur redesigning and expanding their PfS Centres to cope with the increased demand of their evolving programmes. Both now have state-of the-art equipment which enhance the learning experience for the young people involved.

In line with other government departments, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has committed to focusing on developing its policy and strategic issues and has sought to move away from traditional operational tasks. As part of this process the DCSF has appointed Rex Hall Associates (RHA) to deliver PfS nationally, with the DCSF continuing to maintain its strategic lead role.

PfS held a hugely successful celebration event at Wembley Stadium in late 2007, marking ten years since the project was launched at Old Trafford. It also served to mark 250,000 young people having benefited from the project.

PfS remains a key element to clubs' delivery of education work and is seen by Government as a standard bearer for working in partnership with outside organisations. Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families said earlier this year:

"Playing for Success has become synonymous with quality and innovative teaching and learning. PfS Centres are at the leading edge of study support and educational practice; children now have opportunities we could never have dreamed of or imagined ten years ago."

For more information, please visit: www.playingforsuccessonline.org.uk/