Creating Chances

Fulham Football Club players Aaron Hughes and David Stockdale today attended the official launch of CSPAN, a successful new partnership between the key sporting and physical activity organisations in the Royal Borough of Kingston, and the Club’s Community Sports Trust. The event is part of the Creating Chances Places for Players initiative that aims to highlight the significant work the twenty Barclays Premier League clubs carry out within their local communities.

CSPAN, which stands for Community Sport & Physical Activity Network, has been awarded funding of £357,000 by the Premier League / PFA community fund, and Sport England, to deliver a three-year programme to develop opportunities for disabled athletes, girls and women, as well as to create further openings to encourage more young volunteers in sport.

The launch, which celebrates the successful partnerships and formation of Kingston’s CSPAN, took place at Fulham Football Club’s training ground and the Club hosted its very own torch handover ceremony, to coincide with the official hand over of the Paralympic Torch from the Paralympic Games in Beijing to London for the 2012 games.

Many of the forthcoming projects were showcased including: a girls’ football tournament, athletics for boys and girls and ‘boccia’ a paralympic sport for wheelchair users.

Alistair Mackintosh, Chief Executive of Fulham Football Club, said:

‘Fulham has a strong commitment to its local community and is passionate about the benefits sport can bring to all, so I am delighted that this funding will enable us to work with the Royal Borough of Kingston to create new sporting opportunities for young people with a disability, and to inspire young women to lead healthy and active lifestyles through sport.

This funding forms part of almost £500,000 that the Community Sports Trust has sourced to support community sport in Kingston over the coming years, and we are very grateful for the generosity of the Premier League/PFA community fund on this occasion.’

FFC players David Stockdale (far left) and Aaron Hughes (far right), Fulham's Chief Executive Alistair Mackintosh (Centre), Tom Barry (third from right), CST Chairman of the Trustees and representatives of the PFA and the Premier League.

Lucy Shuker, British Number One wheelchair tennis player, and FFC players Aaron Hughes and David Stockdale with the torch.