Aston Villa Foundation and Kaizen Foundation Celebrate the Success of Play it Forward Programme

The programme tackles inequalities in physical activity and access to facilities faced by communities close to Villa Park

The Aston Villa Foundation, in partnership with the Kaizen Foundation, reports on the success of the ‘Play it Forward’ programme that aims to tackle inequalities in physical activity and access to facilities faced by communities close to Villa Park. Supported by the Premier League, the Professional Footballers Association and Birmingham City Council, the programme will fund the long-term viability of community-led sports spaces and deliver an additional 350 hours of activity on mini outdoor pitches across Birmingham.

The initiative has already established four sites across the City of Birmingham, working with local organisations Birmingham United, Spark Active, and Our Community Foundation to engage and inspire young people through the power of football and sport.

Upon launch, last October, the Aston Villa Foundation hosted two events, with surprise visits from Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans at the Concord Youth Centre in Sparkbrook and Aston Villa Women’s Sabrina D’Angelo and Maya Hijikata at Birmingham Settlement Sports & Community Centre in Kingstanding. Young people had the opportunity to meet the players, take part in Q&As, and hear about their own journeys into the professional game.

Further strengthening the initiative, the Aston Villa Foundation is providing expertise from highly skilled professionals across grants and fundraising, marketing and communications, governance, monitoring, evaluation, and impact, health and safety, safeguarding, and risk management.

Siraj Hussain, Founder of Birmingham United Foundation, commented: “Sparkbrook is one of the most deprived areas in the city of Birmingham, with young people struggling to access provisions and safe spaces to take part in sport. Having the opportunity to bring young people to a place like Concord Youth Centre, as a safe space with trusted youth mentors, it’s a chance for young people to be off the street engaging in something productive. There are many challenges coming from an area like this, and sport, as we know, is an amazing engagement tool.”

The President of Kaizen Foundation, Panos Konstantopoulos, added: “Access to sport is not a luxury. It is rather an essential part of youth development. It enables them to build upon their physical and mental health and contributes to cultivating skills and values like teamwork, respect and healthy competition. It provides a space for them to use their energy constructively in ways that could prove life-changing. This is exactly what the ‘Play it Forward’ programme is about and we stand proudly alongside the Aston Villa Foundation as we see it materialise.”

Alison Mapp, CEO of Spark Active, added: “We at Spark Active are committed to actively developing girls’ football as well as offering a local sports provision that’s affordable and free of barriers such as transport and money for those in deprived areas of the city. Many of the girls we engage with prefer playing football at a community level, rather than in a formalised setting. Play it Forward has enabled us to build a positive link with the Aston Villa Foundation and raise the profile of the work we do. Their funding support and additional resources including equipment, coach mentoring and player visits has ensured that our girls football programme has been an even bigger success!”