Young people from Derby County Community Trust have joined hundreds across England and Wales in the Premier League Inspires Challenge, a nationwide initiative supported by the Premier League and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) that uses football to empower 11–18-year-olds through life skills, mentoring and social action.

The challenge is one element of the Premier League Inspires programme, which clubs run on a weekly basis to support 11-18-year-olds who may be at risk of not reaching their potential as they move through the education system into early adulthood.

This season, young people have been tasked with supporting young people’s mental well-being under the name “Inside Matters”. Derby County Community Trust representatives came together to share their project ideas at Pride Park Stadium, in front of a panel made up of Natasha Cover, East Midlands Regional Manager for Show Racism the Red Card, Steph Heck, Football Development Officer from Derbyshire FA and Eva McFarlane, Vice Chair of the Derbyshire Youth Leadership Academy.

The winning team from Heanor Gate Spencer Academy developed a project to raise funds for the wellbeing staff at their school, to help to supply equipment to support fellow students.

Having received the highest number of votes, Derby County Community Trust participants are due to join hundreds of young people at the Premier League Inspires Challenge celebration event at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in April. Here, they represented their project alongside more than 40 other clubs from across the Premier League and English Football League.

David Goulding, Inclusion Team Leader, said: “This year’s Inspires Challenge event was our biggest to date, with every school showcasing their social action ideas here at Pride Park. Having a new panel of judges support us in selecting our club representative was a fantastic addition to the day. It’s been truly inspiring to see the passion and enthusiasm the students have for supporting their local communities and schools in addressing key wellbeing and mental health challenges.“

The challenge builds upon the Premier League and Premier League Charitable Fund’s commitment to creating opportunities across England and Wales.

Launched in 2019, Premier League Inspires creates life-changing opportunities for young people who may be at risk of not reaching their potential to engage with activities, helping them develop the personal skills and positive attitudes needed to succeed in life.

Using the power of football, the programme helps to prepare young people for further education and employment through a series of face-to-face mentoring sessions, workshops and social-action projects.

Derby County Community Trust began its Premier League Inspires delivery in 2022 and, since then, has supported just under 500 young people through group and 1-2-1 sessions in 16 local schools.

Click here to read more about our Premier League Inspires delivery > https://derbycountycommunitytrust.com/what-we-do/premierleague-inspires/.