Young people from Liverpool Football Club Foundation have joined hundreds across England and Wales in this year’s 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 and into early adulthood.

This season, young people have been tasked with tackling gender inequality in their communities. Liverpool Football Club Foundation representatives came together to share their project ideas through an online heat style format. The winning team developed a project to use spoken word poetry to address the topic of Gender Inequality and brought it to life with a video to share with the local community (school, youth groups ect).

One participant, Angel, shared her experience: "The programme has supported me in a number of different ways and provided loads of opportunities. To be able to use my interest in the arts in this way has been great. Never did I think our project idea would get to be representing Liverpool at Wembley in a challenge. This has shown me what I can achieve".

Ryan Hardy, PL Inspire Senior Coordinator shared “The PL Inspires Challenge is always an incredible opportunity for participants. It adds so much value to the programme, giving young people the chance to represent the club at major events. Unfortunately, the group was unable to attend this year, but thanks to the PLCF staff, we as facilitators still had the opportunity to travel down and showcase the group’s work. I’m so proud of the girls' achievements, just as I am of all participants and the development and social action ideas they’ve brought to life."

As part of the Premier League Inspires Challenge, the Liverpool Football Club Foundation team explored the positive steps Liverpool FC is already taking to address gender inequality. A key focus was The Red

Way, the club’s official sustainability and social responsibility strategy, which aims to create a better future for the club, its supporters, and the wider community. Under this strategy, Liverpool FC has committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion across all areas of the club. This includes initiatives such as increasing female representation in leadership roles, supporting girls' participation in sport through targeted community programmes, and ensuring inclusive access to opportunities within the football industry. By recognising and aligning their project with The Red Way, participants were able to see how their efforts connect to the club’s wider mission to champion fairness and inclusion both on and off the pitch.

Having received the highest number of votes in their heat, Liverpool Football Club participants joined hundreds of young people at the Premier League Inspires Challenge celebration event at Wembley at the end of April. Here, they represented their project alongside more than 40 other clubs from across the Premier League and English Football League. Former Manchester City Women and lioness player Izzy Christiansen, as well as representatives from the PFA, were also in attendance to support and celebrate the young people’s achievements.

This Challenge builds upon the Premier League and Premier League Charitable Fund’s commitment to creating opportunities for all in communities across England and Wales.

Premier League Charitable Fund Interim Chief Executive, Alex White, said: “The Premier League Inspires Challenge gives young people the chance to collaborate on projects that create a positive difference in their community, by championing gender equality and promoting inclusive environments.

“Through taking part in the challenge, young people can build their confidence and gain skills in areas such as public speaking, project planning and teamwork.”

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 to 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.

PFA Senior CSR and EDI Executive, Terry Angus, said: “At the PFA, we believe football has the power to inspire positive change, not just on the pitch, but in our communities. Through Premier League Inspires, young people are developing confidence, leadership and a sense of purpose. It’s fantastic to see our scholars engaging with the programme and working alongside young participants to tackle important

issues like gender equality. These experiences stay with them for life and reflect the values we want the game to represent.”

This season, 45 football club charities across the Premier League and English Football League are delivering Premier League Inspires sessions at their stadiums, in local schools and at alternative educational settings, with partnership support from the PFA.

The LFC Foundation began its Premier League Inspires delivery in 2019 and, this year so far , has supported 286 young people through approximately 432 sessions delivered across 27 local schools. Enabling sustained engagement that supports young people’s personal development, confidence, and social action skills. These sessions are designed to be inclusive, empowering, and tailored to meet the needs of each cohort.

More than 30,000 young people from across England and Wales have received more than 130,000 hours of targeted support through the programme to date