Tackling It Together Supported By Vinnie Jones

Former Wimbledon star and Hollywood hard-man Vinnie Jones has teamed up with the npower Football League to launch a new campaign that aims to tackle anti-social behaviour in the nation’s youth through football.

The ‘Tackling it Together’ programme will consist of two elements; firstly a £720,000 investment from npower via The Football League Trust which will enable the 72 Football League clubs to run respect workshops in schools nationwide. This investment will then be supplemented in the New Year by the ‘Tackling it Together’ fund, a grant scheme that local community groups can apply for to make football available to the kids that attend their centres.

The launch will see Vinnie Jones deliver a football coaching session and pep talk for Tower Hamlets school children in the abandoned Shoreditch Tube Station. He will be assisted in delivering the session by the ‘Tackling it Together’ team, a group of individuals aged between 21-35 who have had troubled backgrounds, but have turned their lives around due to their involvement in the sport.

Alongside the other members of the ‘Tackling it Together’ team, Vinnie will play an active role in determining where the grants are allocated and feels that his imperfect past makes him an ideal ambassador for the campaign.

The former Crazy Gang member said: “No matter what you’ve done in life, tomorrow is the chance for a fresh start. You can always aspire to be good, to be better, and to turn your fortunes around. I know this all too well which is exactly why I wanted to be involved in the campaign.”

Clare McDougall from npower said: “We’re delighted to be launching a campaign that has such potential to be a force for good, especially at a time when the behaviour of the nation’s youth is under such scrutiny following the 2011 England riots.

“It’s an old cliché, but football is clearly more than ‘just a game’. You only have to look at the stories of our ‘Tackling it Together’ team, and Vinnie himself, to see how football has helped turn young lives around and we hope to see more of the same through this campaign.”

Mike Evans, general manager of The Football League Trust, who are working closely with npower on the campaign, commented: “Through our 72 community trusts, we have a wealth of examples of how football has made a positive difference to individuals across the country. Not only does football inspire individuals to achieve and improve their own lives, but it also acts as a focus to pull communities together which is important after the unrest seen in the summer.”

To find out more about the ‘Tackling it Together’ programme, visit www.npower.com/tacklingittogether

---