The Premier League Primary Stars lunchtime club helps primary school children on and off the pitch, and ten-year-old Milica has made so much progress that she was invited to join our Girls Football Plus team.
Project: Premier League Primary Stars & Girls Football Plus
Established: PL Primary Stars has been running since 2017, Football Plus since 2009.
Partners: Premier League, Professional Footballers’ Association, Premier League Charitable Fund
Milica, a ten-year-old pupil at Tufnell Park School, has made incredible strides since joining our girls-only Premier League Primary Stars lunchtime club.
When she first joined, Milica brought enthusiasm for football but initially struggled with teamwork. To support her growth, we worked closely with her school and Milica to better understand her needs and provide the right support to help her develop.
As a result of her outstanding progress, Milica was invited to join the Arsenal in the Community Girls Football Plus team. She now trains every week at Tufnell Park and plays at the weekend for our under-11s at Regent’s Park.
A standout moment in Milica’s journey was the opportunity to serve as an Arsenal mascot for the match against Bolton Wanderers – a well-deserved reward for her progress on and off the pitch.
“When I play football I feel really happy,” Milica says. “I prefer playing to watching it, and I’ve always dreamed of being a professional footballer. Now I actually believe I can be.
"I love playing football with different people and learning new skills. It’s close to my home too, so it’s easy to get to the sessions. When I started I didn’t play for any team, but now I play for the Arsenal in the Community team, which I really enjoy. I love playing matches and scoring lots of goals.
“I’ve been playing a lot more football with different groups of friends, and I’m now part of my school team – I play for the Year 5 and Year 6 teams, as well as Arsenal in the Community.
“Coaches Felix and Billie inspire me because they’re helpful, kind and funny. They include everyone and have helped me improve my football and become more social with others.
“I was really excited about being mascot but very shy – the stadium was so loud! I was lucky enough to walk out with Riccardo Calafiori, especially as he’s a new player for Arsenal this season. Everyone at school asked me loads of questions afterwards!”
Milica’s transformation hasn’t gone unnoticed at school either. Her teacher Sam Thompson says, “Milica has become much more confident around adults and her peers. Her social skills have developed significantly, and she’s often the only girl playing football with the boys at lunch – she absolutely loves it.
“She’s been so excited to share her achievements, like scoring goals and being a mascot for the Bolton game. You can clearly see how much she’s developed socially, as well as her reading and understanding of the game. She still has moments where she loses focus and needs gentle reminders to look up and make a pass, but overall her progress has been fantastic to witness.”
Billie Graham, Women & Girls’ Football Coordinator at Arsenal in the Community, added, “We’ve been really impressed with her development both on and off the pitch. It has been lovely to see Milica expand her friendship group and improve her teamwork skills.”
Premier League primary stars is the Premier League’s primary school education programme. Funded by the Premier League through the Premier League Charitable Fund, the programme uses the appeal of football to help children to be active and develop essential life skills.
Our Girls Football Plus project is supported by the Premier League and PFA. Administered through the Premier League Charitable Fund, the funding helps football clubs to tackle inequality and respond to local challenges, supporting people and their communities to be more inclusive.
To find out more about these programmes visit premierleague.com. For more information on Arsenal’s programmes email Billie Graham at bgraham@arsenal.co.uk.
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