Never Judge A Book By Its Cover
D’marco, London, England
Goal Click and the Premier League Charitable Fund teamed up to tell the inside story of Premier League Kicks as part of the Premier League Youth Summit.
Eight young people documented their diverse experiences of Premier League Kicks during the summer of 2021 through their own eyes and voices. The storytellers represented four club community organisations (CCOs) in the Premier League and English Football League – West Ham United Foundation, Nottingham Forest Community Trust, Luton Town Community Trust, and Pompey in the Community.
Premier League Kicks uses the reach and appeal of the Premier League and network of professional football clubs. Premier League Kicks will regularly engage children and young people of all backgrounds and abilities in football, sport and personal development – providing a trusted, positive influence in high-need areas across England and Wales.
Playing with West Ham United Foundation, D’marco wrote about his photos, football life, and the impact of PL Kicks on their community.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life?
My name is D’marco, I’m 10 years old and want to be a professional footballer. West Ham United Foundation is where I go to train. I was born in England and live with my mum and my brother. My football career started when I was 7 years old, I wasn’t so serious at the time but soon I began to see that football was what I wanted to do. I played with teams such as Barking FC, Rippleway, but my main interest is West Ham Kicks. I started going to Kicks when I was 9, I have played two matches since I started and have got better at football.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?
The photos are taken at the West Ham United Foundation. There were different groups that had their own sections on the pitch with loads of training equipment, and so I went over to each group to show what a session is like at the West Ham United Foundation Kicks. The main activities are drills, matches, and coaches explaining the drills.
Most of the people are players who usually attend West Ham United Foundation Kicks. They are players I train with and most come to get better, meet with their friends, and have fun. Players at the Foundation cannot put the ball down for more than one minute, it shows how much we love football.
Why is football important for your community?
I think that football is important for my community because the sport can help you get more fit, become faster and has a good influence on your life. It helps your body, teaches life lessons and important things you might need in your life. Something that football also does is help make friendships. You can start to build chemistry with someone, and bond so well together and maybe play on the same team. Football is such a friendly and fun sport and West Ham Foundation Kicks proves that statement.
What does football mean to you? What ambitions do you have for the future?
To me, football is more than just a sport, it teaches lessons that the players carry with them long after. Teamwork, discipline, perseverance, goal setting, handling success and failure, time management, and keeping fit. For the future, I have various ambitions when it comes to my football career, but my main goal is to be player for a top Premier League team when I am older.
How does taking part in Kicks make you feel? What do you like most?
Taking part in Kicks has been an amazing experience for me as it has extremely impacted my game. I remember when I struggled to dribble with the ball properly – now I pull off confusing skills. What I like most about Kicks is that they teach you something new every day and welcome everyone of any race, gender, nationality, you name it, and that makes me feel welcome and happy at Kicks. Kicks plan football drills for us to do and sometimes host matches. That can really improve a player’s repertoire. They even sometimes promote players to Academy level.
Our sessions at Kicks are mixed, there are also sessions on a Tuesday just for girls so there are lots of opportunities for them to play and get better.
What is your favourite photo? Why?
My favourite photo is someone taking a free kick. It shows how easily everyone at West Ham Foundation can bond together and do fun things. Before this photo, they were supposed to have a water break, but everyone is always playing together and talking to each other and starting friendships.
What impact has the West Ham United programme had on you?
All the players (including me) at Kicks are physically better, but also mentally. The West Ham Foundation has impacted my thinking ability. If you mess up, the coach encourages you to keep trying, trial and error, until you finally get it and use it in a game. When the coaches do this, they improve a player’s mental ability so that they know what skills to do, when to pass, when to shoot, make runs, the list goes on.
What do you think the future looks like for football in East London and England? What do you want to change?
I dislike it when coaches judge a book by its cover. You should never judge by looks, we are human, no one is perfect. Sometimes it hurts when you see someone being treated better than someone else because they are better at something or looks different. West Ham Foundation Kicks do NOT do this at all and treat everyone equally. Everyone has their weakness and strengths.
