Players pay half-term visit to Foundation football session

Local youngsters at a Tottenham Hotspur Foundation half-term football session were treated to something extra special today (Thursday 24 October) when Davinson Sanchez and Anna Filbey came along to participate at New River Sports Centre, Wood Green.

The pair joined in with a variety of drills and gave pre-match team talks to around 50 youngsters, including boys, girls and young people with disabilities.

This activity is one of many being delivered by the Foundation in the local area during the half-term break. Alongside its regular community programmes, the Foundation has put on additional football tournaments and coaching courses during the school holiday to engage young people in positive activities through their passion for the sport.

Centre-back Davinson said: “It was great to see the young people coming together through their love of football. These sessions give them the opportunity to play in a safe environment and learn new skills.”

“Today gave me a real insight into the Club’s far-reaching work in the community,” said Spurs Women defender Anna. “There are so many positives to playing sport and it’s fantastic that youngsters have access to sessions like this.”

Richard Allicock, Community Development Manager at the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, said: “We want to give local young people as many opportunities as possible to stay active and have fun, not just in half-term but all year round.

“As well as enabling them to play the game, it’s rewarding to see how these sessions help develop skills and build confidence that they can take forward for the future.”

Today’s session coincides with the Premier League’s announcement that it will fund its community programme, Premier League Kicks, for a further three years. This investment will enable more than 175,000 young people to access free football coaching, sports coaching and workshops across England and Wales by 2022.

Premier League Kicks, which was launched in 2006 with the help of Tottenham Hotspur at Ferry Lane Estate, uses the power of football to help young people work together to build a safer, stronger and more respectful community, while equipping them with skills to help steer them away from crime.

The Club recently celebrated the success of its Kicks programme by helping to launch a new partnership between the Premier League, Metropolitan Police and City Hall that will see additional funding to enhance the programme’s delivery in London.

Tottenham Hotspur runs Kicks sessions at venues across Haringey, including New River Sports Centre, Seven Sisters Primary School, Duke’s Aldridge Academy and Ferry Lane Estate.

For more information about how to get involved with the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, email foundation@tottenhamhotspur.com or tweet us @SpursFoundation.