Robert Green represented West Ham United at the Premier League's launch of their Creating Chances scheme in London on Tuesday, and was proud to hear the club recognised for their work with the local community around Upton Park.
Our involvement in the highly popular Kickz project was highlighted at the launch as being an example of how football can be used in the community to encourage kids to spend their time constructively, learning skills from qualified coaches and working as a team and making new friends.
The project was piloted in Newham in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police, who say the crime rate in the area substantially decreases at the time the coaching sessions are taking place. Dan Godfrey from West Ham United's Football in the Community scheme was joined on stage at the launch by Tim Williams, a young 15-year old who is an example of the positive impact Kickz can have.
Green said of Creating Chances: "It was great to see all the Premiership Clubs come together like that and get behind this great initiative. To have a player there to represent every team shows just how big this scheme is and how many charities and good causes it intends to help."