Bradford City’s Community Foundation showcased its Premier League Inspires project at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium last month, drawing more than 50 teams from across England and Wales. The initiative, led by head of Premier League and Sport Development Ollie Read, aims to tackle loneliness and isolation among students in Manningham, the most deprived ward of Bradford.
The event, held in a corner of Hill Dickinson Stadium beside windows overlooking the River Mersey, saw the school team from Manningham enthusiastically present a drop-in room that offers games, snacks and activities. The space is designed to give pupils a safe place to socialise, meet new friends and build confidence, tackling the isolation that many feel in the area.
"These young people simply don’t get opportunities like this," Read said. "For them to have an opportunity to not just be spotlighted but to have a sense of responsibility and ownership of something that then gets rewarded on this scale is just incredible."
Read, who oversees the delivery of Premier League Inspires in the school, highlighted the personal growth he has witnessed. He described a student who, in October, had not spoken to anyone and had poor attendance. "His behaviour points, his attendance, everything about him has changed," Read said. "If you had seen him in October he wouldn’t have spoken to anyone. He had all the skills to be a leader but he didn’t have the confidence to be able to utilise those skills. If you see him now, he’s the first person speaking to everyone."
Bradford City AFC is one of 54 professional football club charities that deliver Premier League Inspires, a programme that since 2019 uses football to inspire young people aged 11-18 at risk of not reaching their potential. To date, more than 40,000 participants have been involved, and the programme has been credited with improving behaviour and engagement in lessons.
The assistant headteacher of the school said the project was “more than they could have ever imagined.” Read added that the success is evidence that the programme is doing tangible work: "Premier League Inspires has allowed us to be dedicated and a force for good constantly within schools like this one."
Looking ahead, Read plans to expand the initiative across Bradford. "An area like Bradford has so much need," he said. "Aspiration is probably one of our biggest challenges in Bradford but programmes like this make us feel included and make young people think that they can represent their city and their club."
The foundation credits the Premier League Foundation for the initial support that helped lift the project off the ground. "Now it’s for us to take on," Read said. "What more can be done? There are so many things like this that we can run and organise to create other opportunities to empower young people and give them a sense of value."
