The Barclays Premier League trophy will visit one of the Sky Blues in the Community programmes...
The Barclays Premier League trophy will be in the hands of Coventry City, when it visits one of the Sky Blues in the Community programmes as part of a national tour organised by sponsors Barclays and the Football Foundation.
The trophy will be on show at the Active Meadowlands multi-use games area off Hewitt Avenue in Radford on Thursday 31st October from 1.15pm until 3.00pm, as part of the Sky Blues in the Community ‘On Target’ project. The Active Meadowlands site was refurbished by Barclays as part of their ‘Barclays Spaces for Sports’ programme in 2008.
‘On Target’ provides football and other sports at parks in Radford and Foleshill on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as during school holidays. The project is funded by the Football League Trust and the Barclays Spaces for Sports programme - administered by the Football Foundation, and has been running in Coventry for the last 18 months.
During this time, Sky Blues in the Community have worked with over 450 young people aged 10-19 from these areas, working with key local partners including West Midlands Police and the Positive Youth Foundation. The two target areas have seen significant drops in anti-social behaviour since the project began in April 2012. A number of coaching qualifications and sports development workshops have also been delivered as part of the scheme.
James Taylor – Programme Manager for the Barclays Spaces for Sport programme said “Over the last 18 months the project delivered by Sky Blues in the Community has really had an impact on young people and the wider community in these local areas.
“We are delighted to be able to facilitate the Barclays Premier League trophy visiting one of our sites in Coventry, as it gives the young people a chance to do something that many professional players don’t get to do – and that is to get their hands on the Premier League trophy – one of the most coveted trophies in the world.”
Coventry City Council’s cabinet member for sport, Cllr Ed Ruane said, “I’m really pleased that this fantastic trophy will be visiting our city. We are working hard to inspire young people to get involved in sport – for fitness and because we know it’s good for brain and social skills development too.
“Sky Blues in the Community do lots of really good work in some our most disadvantaged communities to engage children and young people in sport – and in many cases this can lead to them achieving recognised qualifications and then going on to give something back their communities as well.”