Celebrating five years of Premier League Primary Stars

June 2022 marks five years since the beginning of the Premier League Primary Stars programme, a primary school project that supports children to learn, be active and develop important life skills in the classroom, on the playground and on the sports field.

As part of the celebrations, Cardiff City FC Women’s First Team players Seren Watkins, Brooke Evans and Meg Saunders surprised Year 5 pupil Ahmed from Maerdy Primary School in Rhondda Cynon Taff with his Premier League Primary Stars Superstar award.

Ahmed was nominated by our Premier League Primary Stars coaches after showing commitment and passion to the project since moving from Iran.

When he first arrived in Wales, Ahmed was unable to speak English. However, since his involvement in Primary Stars, he has been able to communicate through the universal language of football.

This has given him the confidence to develop his English language skills, engage with lessons, build new friendships and now feels like a part of his local community.

Upon receiving his award, Ahmed said:

"I'm so happy - I love football and every time the Cardiff City FC Foundation coaches come into school I can't wait to go on the playground.

"I'll be using my new football to practice my skills in the garden and the picture and trophy will be going in my bedroom!"

Over 25,000 children in over 300 primary schools have benefitted from Cardiff City FC Foundation’s Premier League Primary Stars sessions across South Wales since the project began in 2017.

We’ve supported primary school children to achieve their full potential by delivering over 15,000 literacy, numeracy and PHSE lessons in the classroom, alongside P.E activities on the playground and educational workshops on real-world topics.

Foundation Director, Gavin Hawkey said:

“Football is an effective engagement tool which can be used to develop confidence, build resilience and raise aspirations.

“Thanks to the support of the Premier League Charitable Fund and our collaboration with partner schools, we’re pleased to be supporting children in Cardiff City communities to learn, be active and develop important life skills.”

Headteacher at Maerdy Primary School, Helen Gregory said:

"We are so proud of Ahmed for the progress he has made during Cardiff City sessions this year and would like to thank the Foundation for the excellent experiences they provide for our children."