Press Release 1 March 2012

The hugely successful Premier Skills initiative, run by the Premier League and the British Council, has this week launched in Mexico. Premier Skills will take place from 1 to 9 March at The Reforma Athletic Club with intensive training for 50 grassroots football coaches selected from across Mexico. The project will be led by head coach Robbie Earl. He will be backed up by Danny Edwards and Paul Markinson, community coaches from Queens Parker Rangers and Bolton FC. All of the coaches involved in Premier Skills are UEFA qualified coaches.

Running alongside the coach programme will be a new ‘Introduction to Refereeing’ course, which will focus on teaching community organisations the rules of football. The course is being led by international FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who will be assisted by Alan Wiley. This component will run from 1 to 3 March.

The course in Mexico is being jointly organised by the British Council, Premier League and the Mexican Football Federation; Ministry of Social Development, Mexican Institute for Youth, Rafa Marquez Foundation, Corazon AC, Bendito Balon, Street Soccer Mexico, National Commission for Sports and the Valor-Es Foundation.

Premier Skills has already successfully run in 23 different centres in 18 countries worldwide, but this is the first training course to take place in the Americas.

Premier Skills has achieved huge impact under the first stage of the programme. It has run in 23 centres, across 16 countries around the world. It has trained 1,000 coaches, reached nearly 300,000 young people, with over one million football-focused English language materials distributed globally.

Harnessing the huge global interest in the Premier League, the British Council has created a range of football-based English language materials that include a dedicated Premier Skills website www.britishcouncil.org/premierskills . This website features downloadable resources for teachers and learners, and the first components of a Premier Skills self-access schools pack, providing materials for teachers and learners of English. These will enable people around the world to develop and build upon their English language skills. The resources also use the motivational power of football to develop classroom materials that allow teachers and learners to explore key social issues such as health and social inclusion.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore said:

“At home the Premier League and our Clubs have a long-held commitment and reputation for delivering high quality community and education programmes. Given our popularity and success internationally we felt it only right to take this approach to a wider community.”

“Premier Skills has already taken place in 16 countries, developing 1,000 new coaches all over the world. These coaches have already delivered work that has benefited a further 250,000 young people. I am thrilled to see Premier Skills now rolling out in Mexico this week.”

British Council Chief Executive Martin Davidson said:

“Our purpose is to connect people in the UK to people in other countries and football is a great way to do that.

We are therefore proud of Premier Skills, our partnership with the Premier League and I am delighted that this unique project, which combines English and football – two truly universal languages –, has arrived in Mexico.”

-ENDS-