Professional Football and Kids Taskforce

The missdorothy.com and Watch Over Me programmes are designed to be delivered
by the teacher and supported by the local football club, whose community coaches can
take part in the appropriate lessons whenever possible

Football is a powerful tool for influencing young people’s behaviour and messages about health and fitness have been incorporated in the missdorothy.com and Watch Over Me programmes. These have been developed with the help of Charlton Athletic, Watford and Tottenham Hotspur football clubs.

The involvement of football in the learning programmes was instigated by young people themselves and the lessons are designed to show that health and fitness can be fun. Community coaches can get involved in lessons covering the issues detailed below:

» How the body works
» Healthy eating
» Benefits of exercise
» Dangers at sporting events
» Community cohesion
» Teamwork
» Hope
» Respect
» Celebrating differences

Kids Taskforce works closely with the Professional Footballers’ Association and the Football League Trust, which has provided funding for 10 flagship clubs across the country to use the programme in their community schemes.

Former Chelsea and Celtic player Paul Elliott is a Kids Taskforce director and actively promotes its aims. Paul, who is well known for campaigning against racism in football, has been a Kids Taskforce supporter for many years and also starred in the Watch Over Me III drama.

Spurs and England striker Jermain Defoe become a Kids Taskforce ambassador in 2009 and has pledged to help make young people’s lives safer by supporting our school learning programmes. Jermain, whose brother was killed in a violent street attack in 2009, joined the parents of murdered London teenager Jimmy Mizen for the launch of the latest secondary school safety drama Watch Over Me IV.

Jermain Defoe on the set of latest series of Watch Over Me

Gordon Taylor CEO of the Professional Footballers Association

For more information about the Professional Footballers Association please visit their website www.pfa.co.uk