The Aston Villa Foundation have launched a new project under ‘Everybody’s Game’, the banner used to promote football as a sport for all.
In late 2023, the Foundation implemented the next stages of the Everybody’s Game project, funded by the Premier League and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).
It is designed to bring inclusive opportunities for British South Asian communities and women and girls to get involved across mainstream football, either as players, volunteers or coaches.
One new focus of Everybody’s Game will be on developing the strength and skills of coaches and supporting the network of grassroots-level British South Asian-led clubs and community groups.
The initiative will support them to become well-governed organisations with a strong volunteering workforce, as well as helping to manage their governance in terms of policies, procedures and finances – ultimately helping them to become sustainable football organisations that can create new opportunities and pathways for British South Asian players and coaches.
Administered through the Premier League Charitable Fund, the funding helps football clubs tackle inequality and respond to local challenges – supporting people and their communities to be more inclusive.
The project also supports the Premier League’s South Asian Action Plan, which launched in 2022 to help address the underrepresentation of British South Asian players within the Academy system.
On the same weekend, the Aston Villa Foundation launched the women and girls element of Everybody’s Game by working with the Muslim Sports Foundation to deliver a football festival for those aged 5-16.
It aims to increase participation in the sport at grassroots level and provide greater opportunities of engagement and development for women and girls from all backgrounds in football.
Over 160 young people took part in the two events based at the club’s new inner-city Academy, located a stone’s throw from Villa Park. Hundreds more players and coaches are expected to get involved in the initiative over the course of the project’s lifespan.
Football Development Manager and Project Facilitator Mihai Gherasim said: “We are very proud to see the Everybody’s Game project start and open the doors to our inner-city Academy to over 160 children and young people.
“Over the last 18 months, we held consultation meetings at Villa Park with local community organisations to find out the current challenges at grassroots level and ways we can support clubs to develop their own members of staff, build capacity and become sustainable over a longer period of time.
“The three-year project funded by the Premier League and PFA will play an important part in growing and supporting the women’s and girls game, and help to develop football amongst the British South Asian community through recreational events and bespoke mentoring programmes for coaches and wider club volunteers.”
