School pupils have shown off the skills they have developed thanks to the Premier League Enterprise Academy.
Pupils from two Surrey schools displayed their entrepreneurial credentials to Lord Davies, Minister for Trade, Investment and Small Business and Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore when they took part in an Apprentice-style challenge.
With the event held at Craven Cottage, the pupils from Coombe Boys' School and Raynes Park High School were asked to create a real-life marketing campaign for Fulham Football Club, aimed at raising the attendance of a 'Grade C' Barclays Premier League match at the ground.
The pupils used the skills the had picked up from the Premier League Enterprise programme, and were given an hour to develop a campaign promoting match tickets to fans. They were asked to pay particular attention to marketing and finance with their ideas judged by a panel of experts.
The event was designed to demonstrate how the Government and the Premier League are interested in the potential for more football clubs to help boost enterprise in local communities.
The Enterprise Academy programme aims to "inspire and challenge" students by using examples drawn from participating Barclays Premier League clubs. The club brands are used to introduce young people them to the basic principles of business and self-employment through a range of interactive learning opportunities.
Enterprise Opportunities
The core elements of the programme are:
- Introduction day at the stadium
- How the football club operates as a business, including aims and objectives
- Products and services
- Marketing
- Customer service
- Challenges designed to improve enterprise skills
- Learning about the world of work and enterprise
- Career planning (including enterprise opportunities)
- Helping promote enterprise messages to wider members of the local community.
The Premier League's aim to build communities by funding projects that use sport fits with the Government's vision for developing enterprise skills throughout the country.
British Economy
The Premier League Enterprise Academy programme was announced as part of the Government's Enterprise Strategy in March 2008, and has been developed from proven models being run at Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.
The initiative, a collaboration between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), Enterprise UK and the Premier League, delivers information, advice and enterprise activities to young people aged 11-19 years old.
Lord Davies said: "The Premier League Enterprise Academy is a fantastic initiative, which uses the widespread interest in football clubs to introduce young people to the principles of business. I want to encourage more Premier League clubs to sign up, particularly in the London region.
"These Enterprise Academies play an important role in inspiring and motivating young people to develop enterprise skills and potentially grow a business. This is crucial for the continued development and growth of the British economy."
Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, said: "The interest that many young people have in football means that Premier League clubs have a unique opportunity to be able to influence and educate.
"The world of business and enterprise is an example of how a subject, when linked to how a football club operates, is made more interesting to young people."
People's Passion
Pamela Hargreaves, Director of Partnerships at Enterprise UK said: "Tapping into young people's passions and interests is a great way to get them engaged in enterprise.
"It is amazing to see the impact of this programme on the students that take part each year. Exposing young people to real-life enterprise experiences gives them the skills, confidence and ambition they need to set up a business later in life, and football is a great vehicle to do this."
The target is to have every Barclays Premier League club engaged with Premier League Enterprise by the end of the year. To date, 12 Premier League and Football League have established Premier League Enterprise Academies: Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Burnley, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Manchester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Newcastle United.
So far, more than 115,000 children have taken part in Premier League enterprise activities in the last two years with over 210 schools are engaged in enterprise activities across the country. More than £2.5m of funding from regional development agencies investment and the Premier League/PFA Community Fund has been granted to deliver enterprise education to young people in Key Stage 3, 4 and 5 via the Premier League Enterprise Academies.
