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Mass support for Premier League Kicks

New figures have been released showing the great success of Premier League Kicks

New figures have been released that show 131 young Londoners have found employment and 712 have been signposted into further education or training as a result of a football-based youth mentoring programme funded by the Mayor of London and the Premier League.
 
The London Premier League Kicks scheme, which has been running across 20 London boroughs, has worked with over 1,300 12–18 year old Londoners who are either in a gang or deemed at risk of becoming involved in crime. In line with the Mayor’s ambitions for young Londoners and his efforts to tackle youth crime, it offers people the opportunity to turn away from gang life and instead take part in football lessons and life skills workshops led by Premier League Football Clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. 
 
The year-long pilot programme has exceeded its targets, working with nearly 500 more young Londoners than expected, and providing over 30,000 hours of activity across the capital. Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) has committed £200,000 funding over the next two years to continue the programme beyond its pilot phrase, with the Premier League providing £800,000. This will extend the positive work of Kicks until 2016, giving hundreds more young Londoners the chance to join the programme.  
 
The Kicks training sessions take place in priority areas linked to gang activity at key times and days of the week including Friday and Saturday evenings, to help keep young people off the streets and away from harmful influences. Those on the programme are referred via the Trident Gang Command, Met police, probation service, local authority, school or other partner agency; demonstrating the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime’s (MOPAC) ambition to get public services working more closely together. 
 
The Mayor through MOPAC has set specific crime and policing targets for London including reducing crime by 20 per cent and increasing confidence in police by 20 per cent. Kicks breaks down barriers between police and young people, with plain clothed Met officers regularly attending sessions. Four in ten of those involved say that since joining Kicks, they have a more positive attitude towards the police and almost half have an increased awareness of crime’s consequences.
 
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “London Premier League Kicks has proved to be a huge success by preventing hundreds of young Londoners from drifting into crime and showing them the wealth of positive opportunities that can await them in this great city. Using the positive influence of football, this pilot has proved a phenomenal success in turning around the lives of over 800 vulnerable individuals. I am pleased to confirm funding to see an expansion to the programme ensuring even more young people have the chance to pour their energy and ambitions into a brighter future.”
 

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