FOOTBALL stars Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Coady have come together in a major effort to help opportunities arise for disadvantaged young people.
The Liverpool right-back and Wolverhampton Wanderers captain met up and pledged their support to a new initiative called Football For Change ahead of the Euro 2021 tournament this summer as they were named in Gareth Southgate’s initial Three Lions squad.
They were joined by Anfield legend Jamie Carragher and the trio all explained how proud they were to use their platform to bring about real positive change for the most deprived young people in challenged communities.
Alexander-Arnold said: “Football For Change is about giving everyone opportunities they deserve from a young age. Cities like Liverpool are more deprived than other areas and so it’s important for us to come together to support this.
“Everyone that has given it their backing so far is massive for us and this is only going to help improve young people’s lives by showing them a more positive path.To have the platform I’ve got now and reach out to so many people, be a role model for so many, it’s important to use that in the right way and get involved in initiatives like this.”
Football For Change is bringing together sports stars and business leaders to help young people get into education or find employment opportunities, as well as helping others who face barriers unlocking their full potential.
A number of major business leaders, who are also backing the initiative, met the football stars in order to kick-off a really important social change.
Steven Gerrard, Gary Neville and Gary Lineker have also backed the campaign.
The scheme will distribute grants to organisations supporting young people in the most deprived areas with a focus on education, employment and training.
Coady said: “It’s massive that we can use our platform to help disadvantaged kids and level the playing field for young people by giving them opportunities in life to showcase what they can do.
“Coming up through Liverpool FC you get put with kids from different areas of the country and different areas of the city. I was very lucky growing up but it was eye-opening to see as a teenager what people could be going through.”
Football for Change will use the football stars and business leaders involved, who have succeeded in the face of adversity, as role models to promote social mobility.
They have also set a target of raising a £250k fund to help NEET young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into education, training and employment.
