Young people representing Burton Albion Community Trust joined hundreds from across England and Wales in this year’s Premier League Inspires Challenge celebration, a national event that uses football to empower 11–to-18-year-olds through life skills, mentoring, and social action.
The Challenge is one element of the Premier League Inspires Programme, which supports 11–to-18-year-olds who may be at risk of not reaching their potential as they move through the education system and into early adulthood. The Premier League, through its Foundation, currently funds 54 football club charities to run Premier League Inspires sessions in secondary schools on a weekly basis.
This season, young people were set a social action project focused on developing ways to support the mental wellbeing of young people within their communities. Earlier in the season, Burton Albion Community Trust brought participants together to showcase their ideas at the Board Room Challenge. Nine groups presented their projects to a panel of four judges, with one winning team selected. The successful group created a book centred around a dog who struggles with confidence after losing his bandana. The book focuses on mental health, exploring themes of feelings, emotions and self‑confidence, particularly in relation to appearance.
Charlotte Hall, BACT’s Premier League Inspires Lead said: Our secondary students had a fantastic time representing Burton Albion Community Trust at the Premier League Inspires Challenge Celebration Event on Wednesday. Over the day, students experienced increased levels of confidence in speaking to new people and sharing the highlights of their children’s mental health book social action project. They pitched their idea to the Make Life Kind Foundation. They were really impressed with their idea and presentation and would like to work with the students in the future to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. The students should be very proud of what they have achieved on the day, and we look forward to seeing their social action project grow into future primary school delivery.
The focus on mental wellbeing aligns closely with the Premier League’s Inside Matters initiative, which highlights the League’s and clubs’ ongoing commitment to raising awareness of the topic and encouraging fans to check in on the wellbeing of others. The Premier League Inspires Challenge team also explored the positive work BACT is already doing to support mental well-being, including delivering workshops.
Having won their local heat, Burton Albion Community Trust’s participants joined hundreds of young people at the Premier League Inspires Challenge celebration event at Everton’s Hill Dickinson stadium at the end of April.
Premier League Foundation Chief Executive, Alex White, said: “The Premier League Inspires Challenge gives young people a powerful platform to discuss and take steps to improve young people’s mental well-being within their communities. This year’s theme encourages participants to champion positive mental well-being, break down stigma and create supportive environments where everyone feels able to thrive.
“By taking part in Premier League Inspires, young people can strengthen their confidence and build valuable skills – from communication and planning to teamwork and resilience – as they design meaningful social action projects that promote healthier, happier communities.”
Alongside the participant-focused activities, mental health specialists and representatives from across the sport and charity sectors came together for a round table event. The discussion focused on the role of football club charities in supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing and was delivered by the Premier League and Premier League Foundation in partnership with Comic Relief.
The three-year partnership with Comic Relief is using the power of football to put children and young people aged five-to-18 at the heart of a nationwide push for better mental health by giving them access to practical wellbeing tools, education resources and essential life skills, while tackling stigma head-on.
Burton Albion Community Trust began its Premier League Inspires delivery in 2025 and since then has supported over 150 young people in 7 local schools.
Nationally, more than 40,000 young people from across England and Wales have received more than 135,000 hours of targeted support through Premier League Inspires to date.
To find out more about Premier League Inspires, please visit: www.premierleague.com
To find out more about Premier League Inspires here at BACT, please click here
