This week, Everton in the Commuinity's Lee McArdle became the sixth Premier League Kicks Hero, a campaign which celebrates 10 years of the PL Kicks programme.
Here, the 25-year-old describes how the initiative has helped him become a PL Kicks Development Coach after injury brought his time at the Everton Academy to an end.
"I came into the Academy when I was eight and my group was a very good team. It had the likes of Ross Barkley, Jack Rodwell, Jose Baxter, James Wallace, Adam Davies, Adam Forshaw and Conor McAleny - I think I'm the only one not to be professional!
"I had to stop just before my 18th birthday. I was injured a lot and I couldn't get back to what I was before I joined full-time, and I think we just both agreed it would be better to leave it there.
"I played with a few semi-pro teams in Wales, Caernarfon Town and Connor's Quay and I was in between jobs when someone who I had contact with at the Academy brought me in to meet a few of the bosses from Everton in the Community. Seven months later, I am full-time. It's quite a journey.
"Now I just play with my mates. I enjoy my job more than I enjoy playing now so I'm happy with doing that.
"We put on sessions across the city and in a lot of these areas where PL Kicks operates, there's a lot of crime.
"We try to get them before they go into that, mentor them, tell them what decisions to make and not to make and help them out so that when they're going into the real world at the age of 18, 19 they know what to do, how to go about getting a job or going into further education.
"That's what we do every day.
See: Lee's PL Kicks Heroes comic strip
"We run between 14 and 17 PL Kicks sessions across the city and in every one of those areas we reduce crime by 75%. We're having an effect wherever we go and the kids benefit massively from us.
"I started on this PL Kicks programme when I was 14 and now I'm a coach. It's a bit mad really.
"The comic can have a good influence on people who have taken a similar journey to me. If it doesn't work out at the Academy they can still do good stuff with their life, have an impact on other kids.
"And for the kids who I coach every day, it shows them that this is what you can do."