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'Being a PL Kicks Hero will be with me forever'

15 Dec 2016
PL Kicks at 10, Kicks Heroes, Tottenham Hotspur, Ferry Lane, 121216, Sivan

From participant to full-time football coach, how Premier League Kicks has changed the life of Sivan Sherabayani

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It is not every day your life story is turned into a specially designed comic and then presented to you by a Premier League star.

But that's what happened to Sivan Sherabayani as he became the first Premier League Kicks Hero, a campaign which marks a decade of the Premier League Kicks programme.

See: The comic for PL Kicks Hero Sivan Sherabayani

In 2006, Sivan attended one of the first ever PL Kicks sessions run by the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation at the Ferry Lane Estate in Tottenham Hale as a way to avoid trouble and focus on forging a career in football.

"The very first day we came down here it was like a carnival, there were sound systems and [former Spurs player] Ledley King," Sivan said. "I walked past the pitch and I wondered what was going on. It looked amazing.

"There was usually just us kicking a ball on this pitch but after we saw what was going on we made sure we were here when they were.

"It was rough growing up around here. There was not much to do but this was something to look forward to. It meant everything." 

With the help of the Foundation and PL Kicks coach Richard Allicock, Sivan never looked back. 

PL Kicks at 10, Kicks Heroes, Tottenham Hotspur, Ferry Lane, 121216, Sivan
Sivan takes in his special comic strip at the Ferry Lane Estate

After a trial at Spurs did not work out, Sivan started to work at the club as a steward before being encouraged to get his coaching badges.

He has gone on to earn his FA Level 1 and 2 coaching qualifications and now runs his own business, SoccerDays, which provides football coaching for toddlers.

"Richard and the other coaches weren't just going through the motions," added Sivan. "They were training us and giving us an incentive to work harder.

"Whether it was football or you had any other issues, the coaches would listen to you. They were just brilliant.

PL Kicks at 10, Kicks Heroes, Tottenham Hotspur, Ferry Lane, 121216
Sivan joins a new generation of PL Kicks participants in Monday night's coaching session

"There were hard days where we just turned up and weren't interested, we didn't want take in any of the information they were giving us. But Spurs and the coaches just kept going at us and we bought into it.

"I did not have a clue where I was going in life but they pushed me to do me level one and I got into coaching. Now I know what I want to do and it's all thanks to them.

"Without PL Kicks I would probably working with my dad who is a chef. I always wanted to be involved in football and giving back to the kids, just in the same way they gave to us."

The inspirational story led to Spurs nominating Sivan as their PL Kicks Hero, and at a special event earlier this week, he returned to the Ferry Lane Estate to receive his framed comic from Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli

PL Kicks at 10, Kicks Heroes, Tottenham Hotspur, Ferry Lane, 121216
Dele Alli presents Sivan with his special comic strip

"I am blown away with all of this," Sivan said. "I am just taking it all in. It's all thanks to Spurs, Kicks and people like Richard.

"There's loads of us who have come through this and I am grateful that they have chosen me.

"Being a PL Kicks Hero will definitely be with me forever, that's for sure."

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