The Premier League Inspires Challenge returned to Bloomfield Road this month. Building on the successes of 2025, Blackpool FC Community Trust (BFCCT) welcomed cohorts of Year 9 pupils from our five partner high schools to take part.
Pupils from Armfield Academy, Montgomery Academy, Unity Academy, South Shore Academy and Highfield Leadership Academy took part in the Premier League Inspires Challenge on Monday 9th February, in the Mahou Lounge at Bloomfield Road Stadium.
This year’s challenge was all about raising awareness of the impact body image has on our mental health and how we can better safeguard ourselves from negative and unrealistic stereotypes we see online and in the media. Pupils were tasked to come up with a social action project to support their local community, school, and Blackpool FC.
What is Premier League Inspires?
Premier League Inspires is a 15-week, positive mental health and resilience programme. It is delivered once a week to selected Year 9 pupils across Blackpool. The primary focus of Premier League Inspires is to help young people reach their potential by ensuring they’re inspired, engaged, and develop the coping strategies to support them through the challenges of life.
The Event
Schools arrived bright and early to set up their areas in a market stall-styled event. Having worked devotedly in their sessions at school, supported by BFCCT staff members, pupils presented their social action ideas to students from Blackpool FC Sports College, BFCCT staff and broader partners, Beaverbrooks & NatWest. Visitors were asked to engage and give feedback on project ideas, scoring the pupils across three key areas: Presentation & Communication, Overall Project Design and Knowledge & Understanding. Pupils presented a wide range of well-thought-out concepts and ideas to support gender equality in their school, football club and broader community. Learners took turns to present their ideas and answer questions from our staff and scholars, who challenged and encouraged them throughout the process. It’s fair to say our guests were amazed by the creative ideas being showcased.
The Impact
When the pupils arrived to present their ideas, it was apparent that many felt anxious, uneasy, and apprehensive about leaving the comfort of their classrooms. However, after their first interaction, their confidence grew, and they spoke passionately, sincerely, and thoughtfully about their social action projects. The staff who were there to support the pupils were impressed by how they gained the courage to present and share their ideas with conviction.
Pupils gave their feedback about the event:
“It has inspired me and helped me overcome things.”
“It has been fun and a great opportunity.”
“How you can talk to different people and respectfully talk about things.”
The Winning Idea
Once the votes had been counted, it was time to announce the winners. Having articulated their ideas with consistent enthusiasm and energy, pupils eagerly awaited the results. Our eventual winners, Armfield Academy, created a wellbeing application for iOS and Android phones, which allows users to answer a questionnaire to understand their mental wellbeing, which in turn provides tips and prompts throughout the day for brain and movement breaks, social time and other things linked directly to improving mental health. They will now work closely with BFCCT staff to undertake their social action project.
What’s Next?
The winners will now act on their idea, documenting this throughout to show how their journey unfolds. In April, they will attend Hill Dickinson Stadium, the home of Everton FC, where they will present their findings to partners and peers from other football clubs taking part in the Premier League Inspires programme.
