Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium was the venue as young people representing more than 50 football club charities recently came together to take part in this year's Premier League Inspire Challenge celebration.
For the last few months, these teams have been working on mental wellbeing social action projects, coming through regional heats to be selected for the celebration event on Merseyside.
During their time on the challenge, which forms part of the year-round delivery of the Premier League Inspires programme, the young people have developed important life skills such as teamwork, confidence and communication while it has also inspired them to help others.
As we mark the Premier League's Inside Matters campaign, which aims to raise awareness of mental health, we spoke with Premier League Inspires Challenge participants about what being a part of the programme means to them.
Omodebare, Bradford City
"We've created a project called Drop-In Room that's available at break and lunch to help secondary school students develop their mental health. It gives people a chance to speak to other people, have fun, play games, be able to free their mind.
"A lot of young people don't really have others to talk to so we want to help them develop that confidence to be able to speak to more people.
"Being a part of this is wonderful. I'm proud of the team because it's almost like we're saving lives. We're helping a lot of students in our school, you don't know what anyone could be going through and this project has improved them so much.
"All I want to do is help people become a better version of themselves.
"This has changed me a lot. My confidence has grown and I've been able to talk to people, even those I haven't met before. I'm able to talk to them confidently. I wouldn't have done that before.
"I didn't think I could achieve something like this, so I'm really happy that I've been invited to Premier League Inspires.
"Being a part of this encourages me to keep going, keep helping people's mental health. Now I know how to speak to people, it's giving me an idea of what I might want to do in the future, like therapy. I wouldn't have thought about that before. This will have a big impact on me."
Ella, Sunderland
"Our project is tackling how the media influences body image and mental health. We have created PSHE lesson plans for secondary school students because we felt that there was a gap in knowledge. We wanted to design lessons that we would want to take part in. The reaction has been positive so fingers crossed that continues!
"Mental health is such a crucial issue. It's important to educate young people on what it is, how to manage it and where you can go for help, because it's bad if you are struggling and don't know how to cope. For young people, they get a bit embarrassed to say they need help.
"Being a part of this has massively helped with my mental health as I am able to identify issues that were affecting me that maybe I didn't even know were affecting me. We looked a lot at AI, edited images and seeing things on my social media feed that aren't real. Being able to take a step back and say I am who I am has helped me massively.
"Being a part of the Premier League Inspires family is amazing. You're not alone, there's so many people around you and especially at events like this, you're seeing loads of young people come together to talk about mental health and it just proves that this is an issue that needs a solution and needs resources.
"The fact that huge football clubs are here and there's so many of them, it makes you feel seen and makes you feel heard. Big clubs and leagues care, they want to help and they want to listen to us young people, which really boosts your confidence."
Amani, Arsenal
"I'm Somali and Yemeni. I grew up in London and with lots of cultures mixed about. Racism is a big thing so we're trying to tackle it by creating football tournaments and educational workshops for primary and secondary school students.
"It makes me feel really proud that we're trying to unite people.
"I didn't know how far this would go. I really didn't think I was going to be here at Everton but our team worked really hard. I am so glad to be here. To have created this project means the world to me. It shows me what I'm capable of.
"It feels like a community here and it feels like everyone is together. It's really heartwarming. There are so many clubs here and I have loved interacting with all the people taking part.
"I have taken a lot of knowledge from all the teams and I have taken the importance of raising our voices as young people. Without Premier League Inspires I wouldn't be here."
Jayden, Blackpool
"We've designed an app to help absolutely everyone. There's a check-in, you fill it in and at the end, the app will give you a personalised plan based on what you've answered. This app understands your circumstances and suggests things to help you.
"In doing this Premier League Inspires Challenge, we can show the passion we have for this subject. We've made all this, we've got T-shirts and we want to be here. It's something we're really interested in. You can tell because look at the results, look at how it's working.
"This has taught me to look at the world from different perspectives. We all have our struggles and to be able to recognise that other people are in the same situation, to be able to push through because we can do this, we do this as a collective and with the Premier League Inspires Challenge helping to bring that together on a bigger stage - it has been very helpful for me; it's has helped me understand that there are options available to me.
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"It means a lot being a part of this. It's me being able to express myself through a form that has such a broad community.
"Working with friends on this puts your friendship on another level. To be able to talk about such a sensitive topic with your friends on such a big scale, it breeds a new level of emotion and connection and that's amazing.
"Seeing a room full of young people all wanting to help others can bring a tear to the eye if you think about it because it's not just us who are passionate about it.
"I'll take away that sense of achievement, that there is good in the world. You see negative things on the news all the time. Stuff like this isn't spoken about enough."
Sherifa, Reading
"Our project involves an inclusive colour run with the aim of promoting positive body image and how people should feel confident no matter what because it's your life, that's who you are.
"The colour run is about inclusivity, self-love and doing your own thing at your own pace. It's open to everyone.
"It was a good project to come up with because we've all had our own struggles. It's good to be able to talk about it with each other and have something that we can all relate to.
"It's all about expectations and in secondary school people can be horrible. I've had horrible things said to me and it can put you down. People can now have serious conversations with us and that's really lovely.
"I've got a lot more understanding since doing this project. I'm more confident and self-aware. I now know more about the right and wrong things to do. I've been trying to improve myself.
"I've got a friend who is dealing with friendship issues and because I've been on this programme, I've managed to give her good advice.
"It's exciting to be here at Everton. It shows that hard work pays off and we're all so proud of each other. None of the teams here would be here if we didn't try. Everyone is genuinely trying to make a difference."
Awstin, Swansea City
"We wanted to be different to what everyone else does so we thought, 'why don't we keep people mentally fit and actively fit as well?' We created a 15k challenge for people to complete over four weeks. We had more than a hundred people sign up and raised over £7,000, which was mind-blowing.
"This project is close to my heart. I wanted to help other people because I used to struggle with mental health, I know what they are going through. I would like to give them the extra help that I didn't have.
"I didn't speak to people. I didn't want to get up most mornings. I just wanted to stay in bed. This project gives people something to do and socialise.
"This is the first year I have been a part of Premier League Inspires and it has already helped me this much. I used to be pretty quiet but now I'm confident in talking to people.
"It feels really powerful that people can hear my story and realise that change is possible. I'm very proud of myself.
"I tell myself in the morning to look forward to going outside, staying active and that I am good enough, instead of just hiding away in my room. This project has played a massive role in that.
"This has made me look at young people's mental health in a different way. I'm able to understand how they feel better than what I was able to before. I can help more young people that I know that struggle with mental health. It's a really big thing."
Beth, Everton
"Our project of a weekly self-care schedule helps people who may find it hard to talk about their feelings. Each day has a different activity.
"We're going to put it in everyone's planners in September so everyone has it as a reminder and Everton are also going to use it with all the schools they work with. It's going to be a big deal. It's such a positive thing and hopefully it does help people.
"It's really important to me because I've been one of those young people who have struggled with mental health and so all I want to do is make other people feel welcomed and not feel the way that I did.
"Premier League Inspires and Everton have done so much for me. The coaches and mentors are so lovely and they've always made me feel like I belonged and that I could be myself. They've really helped me become more confident and it's made me realise that I do have people to speak to.
"The event here in Everton has been really good because there's been so many people from different places who all have creative ideas. It's a really nice environment. It's bringing us out of ourselves because we have to speak to so many people and show them what we've created.
"We are so grateful to have people come up to us and say 'your project is amazing, we want that in our office.'"
Mohammed, Queens Park Rangers
"Our project is about helping young people overcome depression. We want to create a podcast with our school and QPR where people can anonymously drop in and they can talk about any struggles without them being known to the public.
"We also aim to create a cooking club where we do one-to-one sessions and people can talk about how they're feeling and we can give them support and just be there for them.
"People from all walks of life really hide their emotions, especially depression, and I don't think anyone should feel the need to do that. They should be able to speak up. I want to be there for people. Everyone deserves to be helped by others.
"Before I started this project I was immature. I wasn't taking anything seriously. Now I feel like a changed man. It feels like a boulder has been lifted off my shoulders.
"Every day with Premier League Inspires I'd learn something new. My mentor at QPR would come in and he'd help me move forward.
"I feel blessed that Premier League Inspires has given me this opportunity. Being here with Everton and Premier League Inspires has made me feel like one of them. They are very welcoming.
"But what really is going to hit me the most is that I've really helped other people. That there are lots of other teams here trying to help others means a lot to me. It shows that society is changing to become better."
Hannah, Stoke City
"We thought that there's not enough mental health help for teenagers so we made an app, together with UTH City, to provide mental health support. We've made a podcast, talking about what mental health is to us and techniques that you can use to help it, and we've also created our own merch.
"We wanted to spread more awareness that there is help if you need it. I've struggled with my mental health previously so knowing how others may feel and knowing how to help them makes me feel so much better.
"Being a part of the Premier League Inspires Challenge has been great. Just knowing that you can help people that might need help means so much. I can't believe what we have achieved. It's unreal.
"I have changed since doing this. Before I was quite quiet and shy, if someone that I didn't know came up to me, I wouldn't have spoken but now I have a big boost in confidence. I'll be able to do other things now because of taking part in this."
Ruby, Wolverhampton Wanderers
"For our project, we have used inspiration from the Inside Out movie to use different coloured bibs for different emotions, and we're going to turn that into a football tournament with people then wear the coloured bibs responding to how they are feeling.
"We wanted to raise awareness for young people to show them that they don't need to be scared in showing how they feel.
"I understood basic parts of mental health and wellbeing but through the Premier League Inspires Challenge, I've improved on how to explain it in more detail.
"This celebration has been so enjoyable and inspirational. It's not just our idea that's on display here. I know I've tried my best. I won't forget it.
"I know that young people are struggling with mental health, especially around the age of 14, so when I'm getting to that age I want to be helpful. It's given me tips and knowledge that I wouldn't have had.
"I'll take away with me the memorable experience and that we can always be prepared to deal with mental health. I know now I can be brave and power through things."
What is Premier League Inspires?
Premier League Inspires uses the appeal of football to help children and young people aged 11-18 to develop the personal skills and positive attitudes to succeed in life.
Premier League Inspires is delivered by 54 professional football club charities and is supported by the Premier League. More than £16m has been invested into the programme, via the Premier League Foundation, with a further £11.8m committed over the next three years.