Participants from Brentford FC Community Sports Trust have joined forces with more than 200 young people from across England and Wales to create a mentally healthy environment at their football clubs and in their communities, as part of this year’s Premier League Inspires Challenge.

The Challenge is one element of the Premier League Inspires programme, which clubs run on a weekly basis to support 11–18-year-olds who may be at risk of not reaching their potential as they move through the education system and early adulthood.

The Premier League Inspires Challenge empowers participants to take on a social action project and make a difference to the world around them.

This season, young people were tasked with raising awareness of mental health and wellbeing in their communities.

Trust representatives from Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls worked on an initiative to create a space for their school peers to be part of a 'Free Thinkers' Girls Club.

The space provides students from years 8 to 10 with somewhere they can engage in activities and discussions that help to support their mental health as well as alleviate any stress and anxiety they may be experiencing. Activities have included candle making and cookery, with upcoming yoga and boxing classes planned.

Having come up with their mental health social action ideas, Brentford FC Community Sports Trust participants joined hundreds of young people at the Premier League Inspires Challenge celebration event at Wembley Stadium in April, where they shared details of their activity with teams of their peers representing 45 clubs from across the Premier League and the English Football League.

This Challenge builds upon the Premier League’s ongoing Inside Matters mental health campaign and the League’s commitment as a signatory of the Mentally Healthy Football Declaration in 2020, which brought together all UK football organisations to help create a mentally healthy environment across the game.

Premier League Charitable Fund Chief Executive, Ruth Shaw OBE, said: “The Premier League and Premier League Charitable Fund are committed to working with professional football clubs, fans, players, communities, and partners to remind everyone that it is okay not to be okay and that it is vitally important that we keep up the conversation on mental health.

“Through the Premier League Inspires Challenge young people from across England and Wales have developed some brilliant ideas to create positive, mentally healthy environments at their football clubs and in school, at home and in their communities.”

Brentford FC Community Sports Trust Senior Coordinator - Education Programmes, Toren Scott, said: “The girls did an amazing job when we held Dragons’ Den pitches internally, presenting their idea to a panel of judges including Brentford B team player Daniel Oyegoke, Brentford Women’s players Karen Abou-Abdallah & Lillie Elsbury, Shafali Shown-Keen, Franchise Owner of Hounslow McDonalds, and Jade Edwards from West London NHS Trust.

“Since winning Dragon's Den, the girls have been working extremely hard on a weekly basis, bringing their idea to life and improving on different aspects of it. They have already been able to deliver a girls club session which was well received at their school. They are now looking to continue the club and offer mental health support to more girls as their school.”

Launched in 2019, Premier League Inspires creates life-changing opportunities for young people who have been identified by their schools as needing extra support to engage with activities, helping them to develop the personal skills and positive attitudes needed to succeed in life.

Using the power of football, the programme helps to prepare young people for further education and employment through a series of face-to-face mentoring sessions, workshops and social-action projects.

This season, 45 professional football club community organisations across the Premier League and English Football League are delivering Premier League Inspires sessions at their stadiums, in local schools and at alternative educational settings, with partnership support from the Professional Footballers’ Association.

More than 29,000 young people from across England and Wales have received more than 125,000 hours of targeted support through the programme to date.

To find out more, please visit premierleague.com.