Foundation
JUE 19.12.2024
LALIGA and Bloomsbury Football have officially kicked off the third season of their transformative community partnership supporting youth football in the UK and ensuring players from all backgrounds in London have access to the game.
The collaboration sees LALIGA and its clubs, together with FUNDACIÓN LALIGA, continue to support the pioneering work of Bloomsbury Football, who currently engage with over 5,000 young people in London each week. Through partnering together, LALIGA and Bloomsbury Football deliver tournaments for aspiring players across North London, while FUNDACIÓN LALIGA also contributes to upskilling members of the Bloomsbury Football team through training focused on promoting the positive values of football and their application in daily life and leveraging sport as a tool for social inclusion. Growing access to football is a key focus for the project and 45 boys and girls will be awarded with financial scholarships to enable them to participate in the programme.
Since officially launching in mid-2022, the impact of this programme has been significant, having welcomed to-date more than 200 participating players. LALIGA’s clubs have continued to lend their support, with a record number participating in the initiative this season. Past highlights have included former Spain women’s international Vicky Losada attending last year’s Girls Schools’ finals day; a visit from LALIGA icon Frédéric Kanoute; and an appearance from CD Leganés mascot Super Pepino.
Underlining the partnership’s growth year-on-year, CVC, through the CVC Foundation, a network-wide philanthropy programme, has also stepped up to offer support for the programme starting in 2024/25. This season will feature two mixed weekend tournaments across two North London locations, up from just one in previous seasons, plus a girls-only competition through a collaboration with local schools as part of both organisations’ ongoing commitment to grow the women’s game.
Sixteen LALIGA teams are participating this season, more than ever before, and over the coming months local boys and girls will proudly wear the shirts of: Athletic Club, Atlético de Madrid, CA Osasuna, CD Tenerife, CD Leganés, Deportivo Alavés, Granada CF, Racing Club de Ferrol, RC Celta, RC Deportivo, RCD Espanyol, Real Racing Club Santander, SD Eibar, Sevilla FC, UD Las Palmas and Valencia CF.
Charlie Hyman, CEO of Bloomsbury said:
“Our shared confidence in the power of football to change young people’s lives makes this partnership thrive. I am delighted to work with LALIGA to continue creating memorable experiences filled with excitement, learning and personal growth. Going forward this season, we will continue to ensure that our sessions are accessible to all, and I strongly believe that we can help make anything possible for these young footballers.”
Keegan Pierce, Director of International Relations at LALIGA said:
“This partnership has already done so much to encourage more players to enter into the Bloomsbury ecosystem, and we are so pleased to be partnering again for the 2024/25 season. With so much growth year on year as well as the support from so many clubs, we hope to continue to give back to our community here in London, while also inspiring young LALIGA fans and increasing the fan engagement with Spanish football.”
© LALIGA - 2024