On Sunday 26th January, Alfie stepped onto the pitch at Craven Cottage ahead of Fulham’s Premier League clash against Manchester United, receiving well-deserved recognition as our latest Community Champion.
Alfie is a student at Southborough High School in Surbiton, one of Fulham FC Foundation's partner schools, where he takes part in the Premier League Inspires programme. Designed to empower young people, PL Inspires helps participants develop personal, social and employability skills through regular sessions, mentoring, workshops and social action projects. Since its inception, the programme has positively impacted over 30,000 young people.
A fitting Community Champion
Youth Engagement Officer, Lauren Binfield, who led on the nomination of Alfie had this to say: “It was a no brainer for me, Alfie was the first student I thought of to be a Community Champion.
"The reasons for this were not only is he a massive Fulham fan, but Alfie has been working extremely hard since starting on PL Inspires.
"He has taken part in a number of teambuilding activities to develop a variety of skills to support him with his future, these include communication, listening and leadership. He has also loved taking part in the social action challenge and learning about gender equality.
"Alfie always has a smile on his face, his confidence has grown and he is nothing but grateful to be a part of the Fulham family!”
After his unforgettable experience, we caught up with Alfie to hear about his journey with PL Inspires and his special moment as Community Champion.
Experience with PL Inspires
Alfie, congratulations on being named our Community Champion! How does it feel to be recognised in this way?
Initially, I was nervous because I knew I would be standing in front of so many people. It was also exciting to find out I was going to get this experience as I have always supported Fulham.
Can you tell us about your PL Inspires sessions and your coaches?
The sessions are great because they are fun. We get to learn about things such as gender equality for our social action project, and to finish the session, we get to play sports outside, which I really enjoy. When I found out I would be a part of the programme, I was very excited and just wanted to do my best. Our coaches are nice because they really help us learn and stay focused. They make the sessions different and engaging and I really enjoyed doing all the team activities inside.
What do you love most about being part of the PL Inspires sessions?
I love making new friends, playing sports, and being challenged to come up with a social action project idea. I am excited to do even more and get involved in a variety of things.
How has being involved in these sessions helped you personally? Have you learned any new skills or made new friends?
The sessions have helped me work on my mental health, make new friends and I feel more engaged in school because of it. I like that we get to wear Fulham kit on a Friday, which makes me feel like I can learn better and feel more comfortable. I have learned how to communicate and work with others better in various situations. I have made new friends who I didn’t used to really talk to.
Community Champion experience
You had a special experience at the Man Utd game — can you describe what being Community Champion was like for you?
It was special because I got to go out there, meet all the players and I felt like I was on top of the world.
Who is your favourite Fulham player?
I actually have six, and I couldn’t choose to be honest – Antonee Robinson, Bernd Leno, Josh King, Tom Cairney, Alex Iwobi, and Calvin Bassey.
What was your favourite part of the game?
My favourite part of the game was meeting the players and taking out the match ball. I liked it when Leno made some good saves at crucial parts of the game. Even when he was at full stretch when Martinez shot—Leno’s fingertips got to it, but unfortunately, it went in. We definitely didn’t deserve to lose, but I was still so happy to have got this opportunity.
Testimonials
Alfie’s experience left a lasting impact and his mother shared her heartfelt appreciation:
“I just wanted to email to say thank you so, so much again for choosing Alfie to be the Community Champion for yesterday’s Fulham game!
"Despite the score, he had the absolute best evening from the time we got there to the time we left. The Fulham staff were incredible with him and made him feel at ease. He cried happy tears as we left!
"Thank you again for supporting him the way you do and giving him the opportunity and experience he will never forget.”
Alfie’s story is a testament to the impact of the Premier League Inspires programme and the power of football to inspire and uplift young people. We are proud to celebrate him as our latest Community Champion.
Premier League Inspires is a personal development programme, funded by the Premier League and Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) through the Premier League Charitable Fund.
The programme uses the power of football to inspire young people aged 11-to-18 to develop the personal skills and positive attitudes needed to succeed in life.
