Premier League Kicks is turning 20!
This month we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of a programme that for two decades has used the power of football and sport to inspire young people to reach their potential in high-need areas of England and Wales.
More than 600,000 young people have come through Premier League Kicks, which is funded by the Premier League through the Premier League Foundation and is now run by 93 clubs across the Premier League, English Football League and National League.
To mark the anniversary, we are speaking to former Premier League Kicks participants to find out what they are doing now and to discover how the programme made an impact on them.
'Premier League Kicks is a massive part of my life'
Shannon Wells, Sheffield United
As someone who discovered Premier League Kicks when she was having challenges as a teenager, Shannon is fully aware of how the programme offers a second chance to many young people.
Now a youth support officer at Sheffield United Community Foundation, Shannon is running Premier League Kicks sessions and, as a mentor and role model, she is providing for others the safe space and support she received when she younger.
This is her story.
"I had quite a tough upbringing. I wasn't a very academic child. Behaviour-wise I could be challenging and I had a very difficult time at school. My dad passed away when I was 16 and that was obviously a very tough time.
"I joined Premier League Kicks when I was starting secondary school. I was going down the wrong path at that time and I was getting into a lot of mischief.
"Coaches from Sheffield United were coming into schools to promote their programmes. I was really interested because I was just playing in the park.
"I was a participant until I was 17 and through Premier League Kicks I was able to access different opportunities. I did a women and girls apprenticeship at St George's Park, which for somebody who didn't grow up with that much, to be able to go to a facility like that and see all of the amazing things there was extraordinary.
"I can now bring that youth work element to the young people now, which is what was a turning point for me as a young person.
"A lot of people think Premier League Kicks is only football but it is far more than that. The coaches are completely different people to what you're used to. They're not your teachers, parents or carers.
The Premier League. It's More Than A Game
"It's a different dynamic and you're able to offload anything that you need to.
"Somebody cares about you. You turn up every week and these coaches are there and even if you don't want to play football, which was me a lot of the time as a stubborn teenager, they persisted.
"I have no idea what I'd be doing now if it wasn't for Premier League Kicks. For me, to be here now is an achievement in itself.
"To be part of this work with young people, making sure they have access to opportunities, especially for girls within sport, it's a big step.
"Every young person is different. They've all got their own path and if there's any way I can help them develop into the young person that they want to be, I'll do it.
"When I first started at Sheffield United there wasn't a women and girls programme. We started that from nothing.
"It's being able to pave the way for the girls and be that role model, that person of support when they need it. That's the power of Premier League Kicks, it's one of a kind.
"It's been a crazy journey. There's so many different avenues you can take in women's sport now that were not there when I was younger. Being able to go on that apprenticeship, turn my life around and then be involved in Premier League Kicks, managing the programme and changing the future for the younger generation, it's amazing.
"I was one of those participants. I didn't have money or opportunities. Because of my life experiences that unfortunately I had to go through, it shaped me as a person.
"To be able to look at the participants on our programme and knowing that they might be going through struggles but knowing that I'm someone they can trust, that makes it all worthwhile.
"Without Premier League Kicks, so many kids in the community wouldn't have what they have. Our main goal is to expand as far as we can and engage with as many young people as we can and make sure that more of them have got a safe space they can come to every day.
"I never thought I'd be here. Going from that young kid who didn't really have much to then managing a whole project is fantastic. It is developing the next generation of girls and staff members. Whatever they want to be they can be and that's because of the opportunities they've had at Premier League Kicks."