George Friend knows well how Middlesbrough FC Foundation makes an impact on the local community, as a Premier League Kicks ambassador.
Last week, the Boro defender went to Newport Community Hub to honour one coach who has played an important role in the success of the Foundation's PL Kicks programme, leading him to be named as Middlesbrough's PL Kicks Hero.
The event recognised the work of Jack Wilson, who started attending PL Kicks as a participant when he was nine and is now a coach, being employed by the MFC Foundation and spending 250 hours volunteering in the first half of 2016.
"To see what Jack has done is a great example of how the scheme can work and how a club like Middlesbrough and the MFC Foundation can work so close with the community," Friend told premierleague.com.
"I have been impressed with Jack as a guy and as a character; he's got a great personality and he has obviously got a lot of drive.
"His drive and commitment is highly commendable and he certainly deserves the title 'hero'."
Friend presented Jack with a specially commissioned comic detailing his life story drawn by Marvel and DC Comics artist John McCrea and believes he can serve as an inspiration to his comunity.
See: Jack Wilson's PL Kicks Heroes comic strip
"It's important to have role models," Friend said. "The kids that are attending Kicks can see him, they can see the comic strip, they can see him coaching and see how confident he is and aspire to be someone similar.
"It is fantastic that there is a platform available for them in Teeside. It's not a story or a film, it's real life. Jack has gone and done it.
"He has spent hours and hours of hard work to get in that position and that's why he has been rewarded and that's why he is such an important figure locally."
Premier League Kicks Hero marks 10 years of the Kicks programme, which uses the appeal of football and the value of sports participation to help hard-to-reach youngsters in some of the most high-need areas of the country.
Middlesbrough have been delivering PL Kicks since the programme first began in 2006, engaging a total of 3,455 young people.
The project attracts on average over 400 young people a week across 12 locations and has impressed Friend.
"I have seen the enjoyment the kids get from playing different activities, not just football," he said. "It often takes place in some of the more deprived areas and it's keeping kids out of trouble.
"Sport brings people together and if you can bring people together locally then it means the community will thrive."
