ClubLFC Foundation inspires children to make a difference to people, planet and communities
More than 140 local school children visited Anfield last week to explore how they can make a difference through social action and sustainability – inspired by The Red Way, Liverpool FC's sustainability strategy.
The motivational event was delivered by LFC Foundation, with children from across the Foundation's Premier League Primary Stars and Premier League Inspires programmes taking part.
During the day, pupils learned about key sustainability themes linked to The Red Way – including climate change, gender equality and responsible consumption – and explored how they can take positive action within their schools and communities.
Participants then took part in interactive workshops, where they worked together in teams to design and present their own social action projects aligned with a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of their choice.
Representatives from the club – including Rishi Jain, LFC's director of impact, and former goalkeeper and LFC Foundation community ambassador Chris Kirkland – joined the judging panel, to choose a winner from a range of inspiring and creative pitches.
The primary school category winner was Malvern Primary School, whose team designed a 'Plastic Collection Machine' that would reward people for recycling plastic waste, with funds reinvested into environmental causes.
In the secondary school session, Maghull High School took the top spot with their innovative idea to reduce chemicals in water and promote clean living with affordable water filters built using recycled plastics.
Other projects included proposals for solar panels on schools, recycling footballs into plant pots and even creating sustainable slippers from old football shirts.
Speaking at the event, Jain said: "Through The Red Way, Liverpool FC is committed to building a better future for our people, our planet and our communities. The young people who took part today are a fantastic demonstration of the importance that we all have a part to play.
"It was inspiring to see how engaged they were when discussing these important issues, and to hear their creative ideas on how they could take action to make a difference."
Matt Parish, CEO of LFC Foundation, added: "It was fantastic to see local children from our LFC Foundation programmes come together to inspire positive change through the power of football. The enthusiasm, teamwork and innovation on show from every school was outstanding."
As the club's official charity, LFC Foundation supported more than 145,000 people last season, delivering more than £80 million of social value through education, health, wellbeing and employability programmes across the Liverpool City Region and beyond.
By connecting The Red Way with LFC Foundation's Premier League-funded programmes, the club continues to empower young people to lead the way on sustainability and help shape a brighter future for their planet and communities.