Newcastle event celebrates community impact of Premier League

Charitable foundations linked to the North East’s three big football clubs have come together to celebrate the sport’s impact in the North East.

More than 150,000 people in the North East have participated in community programmes funded by the Premier League. That was celebrated with a session involving participants and staff from Newcastle United Foundation, The Foundation of Light at Sunderland, Middlesbrough FC Foundation and Hartlepool United Community Sports Foundation.

The event at the NUCastle complex included PE lessons for primary school children, a football session for students from an adult educational needs college, classroom activities and an over-fifties walking football session.

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Premier League’s chief policy and social impact officer Clare Sumner added: “The Premier League is more than a game, its impact is about far more than 90 minutes on the pitch.

“Of course it is a brilliant competition with 20 clubs competing and thrilling fans week in, week out. We are very proud that the success of the competition enables the Premier League to invest £1.6bn pounds in funding over a three-year period to support communities and football at all levels, throughout the football pyramid.”

The event was also attended by North East mayor Kim McGuinness, who said: “The North East is a football region, football runs through the blood of people here. The work that the Premier League funds and the club foundations deliver is important and helps to transform the lives of people throughout our region.

“Football’s ability to inspire and engage people is universal. Through the incredible efforts of the workforce, our club foundations reach people from five years old in Primary School right the way through to older generations keeping physically active through walking football.”