Sign up for news from the community

 

Kickz

Back in August of this year, QPR’s Football in the Community department showcased the success of its Kickz Programme alongside Chelsea and Fulham Football Clubs.

The event not only included a football tournament, but included other activities including street dance, basketball and boxing. It was a huge success and inspired another 65 programmes across the capital.

 

Running across the nation at nearly 30 Clubs, Kickz is designed to use the power of football to target the most disadvantaged areas of the country and create safer and stronger communities through the development of young people’s potential.

The objectives are simple. The scheme wants to engage young people in positive and constructive activities, provide routes into education, training and employment, break down barriers between young people and the police, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, and encourage volunteering.

Kickz is not only about football. A central part of the scheme involves education about issues including healthy lifestyles, the dangers of carrying weapons and drug use. This part of the program also allows young people the chance to develop their talents through education and training. An example of this has been the success of some participants in gaining their FA Level 1 Coaching badges.

And so far, QPR is a stand out example of what the Kickz program can achieve.

• Launched in March of this year, and supported by the building company BREYER group, the project boasts average participant figures of 80 to 90 young people. O
• In only its second night, 101 young people took part in the Hammersmith & Fulham project.
• The next initial stage for the Kickz Scheme is the development of a pan-London Kickz football League that will unite all London Kickz Programmes and give the participants something regular to look forward to.
• This will be followed, in time, with multi-sport variants and street dance to engage everyone.

But Kickz has several longer term goals and the future is bright according to Andy Evans, Football in the Community Manager here at QPR.

“The long term goal will always remain combating Anti-social behaviour and crime within the Community”

“But the next stage is to work with more local partners. As well as local authorities, we must link up with Youth Offending teams and housing Associations, among others, if we are going to achieve our targets. Also, it is important that we start to inspire the original participants into becoming leaders not only within the future Kickz initiatives but in their Communities as well”.