More Than A Game: Marc Guéhi visits Premier League kicks

Foundation

22 Feb 2024

Marc Guéhi joined four lucky Premier League Kicks participants at the Crystal Palace Academy recently as part of the Premier League’s More Than A Game campaign, which aims to showcase the connection between Premier League Kicks and real-life stars.

Run by the Palace for Life Foundation, the Premier League Kicks programme uses the power of football and other sports to create safer, healthier and more respectful communities by developing young people’s potential.

Activities delivered as Part of Premier League Kicks include girls and boys football, multi-sports, dance, boxing, basketball and youth hub activities, with an array of after-school courses at the Foundation.

Tylei, Ceren, Josh and Jayden are four talented players who participate in the weekly sessions in south London. As part of the Premier League’s More Than A Game campaign, they were joined and supported by Palace defender Marc Guéhi for a football 'masterclass' session.

The group took part in a series of knockout football challenges including classic ‘Wembley' singles, where each player tries to score or stop the other player from scoring; a 'Crossfield ping', tapping into Marc’s pinpoint long passing expertise; and a 'top-corner whip', which paid homage to Michael Olise’s wonderstrike against Luton in November.

"It was really good; they were showing off some of their skills and abilities, and I was just there to assist and watch," Guéhi explained.

"It’s really good [to get involved in the Foundation] because it’s giving back in a way, lending a hand, and if I can do that in any way, in any shape or form, for me, that’s great.

"You could see by the way they were smiling when they were playing football and the camaraderie between them... just by their reaction, you know they enjoyed it.

"I grew up Lewisham. The club is a massive family club, and so is south London in general. It’s full of so many communities and has a family feelgood factor, people looking after each other.

"It’s brilliant to do these types of things – it makes you think of the game when you first started growing up at grassroots level.

"The Foundation do some great things in the community, constantly inspiring the next generation of communities to go out and do great things, whether that’s in football or not.

"Palace are giving people a platform, giving them a foundation to go out and be their best selves, which is amazing."

A strong battle saw Tylei victorious in round one and round two, with Ceren winning round three, leaving her the only remaining candidate and overall winner.

“I joined around two years ago and it’s made a major change to my life," Ceren explained. "It doesn’t only help with talent, but as a person you grow.

"You meet new people, your communication skills improve and they give you the best opportunities, like being able to go down to Palace’s games or the training ground. It’s like a little family we have now. It’s the most beautiful thing.”

More Than A Game

This weekend’s set of fixtures celebrates the Premier League’s More Than a Game campaign, showcasing the wide-ranging investment into all levels of football which enables people connected to all clubs to have a positive impact on their local communities.

Clubs across the Premier League, including here at Crystal Palace, will be naming a ‘Community Captain’, choosing somebody at the heart of these Premier League-funded programmes who deserves recognition for their commitment and contribution to the game and society.

Premier League success means unprecedented financial support is distributed across the leagues in England and Wales, from grassroots to professional football, across both the men’s and women’s game.

In this instance, the More Than a Game campaign – with Guéhi's attendance – showcased the vibrancy of Kick’s community programmes and the ‘ballers’ within them.

You may have already seen how Tylei’s sights are set on the WSL, or Ceren’s desire to inspire the new generation of female footballers.

At Palace, we are incredibly proud of our Kicks community.

Our Foundation have been running the programme for over 15 years, and since its inception in the 2006/07 season, nearly 9,000 young people have participated, and over 12,500 hours of free activity have been delivered across south London thanks to funding from the Premier League and your generous donations.

Through Palace for Life, your support can change a young person's life; please consider donating below. Thank you.

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