The Soccer Works USA initiative will see football-based employability sessions held in New York, which will be supported by Japan Airlines and delivered with LFC Foundation’s delivery partners Goal-E and Good Shepherd Services.

It is designed to combine football coaching with employability sessions to help to tackle social inequalities and provide young people with essential skills to give them the best opportunities for the future.

This is the latest programme to be delivered in the US by the LFC Foundation and partners, in addition to the Creative Works programme which is provided both in the UK and the US.

It is all part of the Foundation’s ambitious new growth strategy, with a focus on three key pillars of health, learning and employability. Last season alone it helped support almost 130,000 people both at home and away, it now aims to support 500,000 people a year by 2030, and work in at least ten countries in the next five years.

On expanding their work in the US, LFC Foundation CEO Matt Parish said: “We are delighted to be able to launch a new programme in the US and we are grateful to Japan Airlines for their support in making this possible.

“We are proud of the work we do here in the UK, especially across the Liverpool City Region, but we are also pleased to be able to support people internationally and that is an area we are looking forward to developing further in the coming years and this is another step in the right direction.”

Japan Airlines became LFC’s official airline partner in the summer of 2024, and part of the multi-year partnership committed to collaborating on key community initiatives across global markets such as this.

Junko Sakihara, Deputy Senior Vice President – Customer Experience at Japan Airlines said: "Japan Airlines is pleased to support the launch of the new Soccer Works USA program together with the LFC Foundation. By investing in our youth and local communities, we aim to inspire future leaders and make a lasting positive impact."