Rotherham United Community Trust has today (23rd September 2026) announced a new community project that aims to build stronger connections between professional football clubs and their local police forces.
Rotherham United Community Trust has received funding from the Premier League, match funded by South Yorkshire Police to deliver a new Youth Club at the AESSEAL New York Stadium and a new weekly football session taking place in Clifton.
Dan Wilson, CEO at Rotherham United Community Trust said:
Football clubs have a unique ability to bring people together and create positive change in their communities. This partnership will help strengthen relationships between young people, local communities and South Yorkshire Police, while providing opportunities, support and positive activities that can help reduce anti-social behaviour and improve life chances. We are proud to be working together to make a lasting difference across Rotherham.”
Rotherham United Community Trust is one of 49 professional football club charities across England and Wales to receive a share of £900,000 in Premier League funding to develop Police Partnerships projects with their local police forces, aimed at strengthening community relationships and reducing the risk of reoffending.
Premier League Chief Policy and Social Impact Officer Clare Sumner CBE said: “The Premier League has a long-standing commitment to working with local police forces to create positive opportunities for young people in communities across the country. We are delighted to build on this partnership, expanding our reach to provide even more support and positive interventions for those who need it most.”
The Premier League investment is match funded by police forces, alongside additional contributions from statutory partners including Violence Reduction Units and Police and Crime Commissioners. Together, this brings the total investment into local communities to more than £2million.
Through this funding, club charities will work with their local police forces to inspire young people to reach their potential, providing them with positive opportunities which divert them away from possible involvement in anti-social behaviour, crime and youth violence.
The projects have been co-designed by football club charities and police forces to deliver meaningful, targeted interventions for young people. These include one-to-one mentoring for young people at risk of criminal exploitation, as well as programmes designed to rebuild trust between police and communities. Activities will also address key issues such as anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls, and knife crime.
Delivery will take place through Premier League Kicks, the Premier League’s longest-standing community programme that recently celebrated its 20-year anniversary and provides young people with access to free weekly football and multi-sport sessions, mentoring and education workshops.
This latest investment from the Premier League and police forces builds on the 2023-2025 Police Partnerships Pilot, through which the Premier League and police forces jointly invested more than £1million into local communities.
To find out more, please visit www.premierleague.com
