07 Apr FOUNDATION RECOGNISES TALHA USMAN AS ‘ONE OF OUR OWN’

To mark the Premier League Supports campaign, we’re celebrating ‘One of Our Own’ – Premier League Kicks participant Talha Usman, a young person who has made an exceptional contribution to the Huddersfield Town Foundation.

The Foundation works with the Eden Foundation, a third-sector organisation based in Birkby working at grass-roots levels to help promote Islamic values of peace, unity, and respect.

Working with Talha and his peers, the Foundation visits one of the charity’s faith centres weekly to plan, deliver and review social action projects local to Huddersfield.

Talha has been instrumental in designing projects to deliver, which included serving over 100 warm meals to people in Huddersfield Town Centre three days before Christmas and protecting a natural greenspace in Birkby.

Because of his commitment to the programme and infectious enthusiasm, Talha has been selected as one of 20 young people nationally to join the Premier League Charitable Fund’s Protect the Planet Youth Panel.

The Panel, made up of innovative and creative young minds, will inform the PLCF’s #iwill funded youth social action project for the rest of the season and help to shape a celebration event that will take place in Autumn 2023.

Talha Usman

As part of the Premier League Supports campaign, Talha was invited to Leeds Road Sports Complex to be presented with his ‘One of Our Own’ print and scarf by Michał Helik and Joseph Hungbo.

Speaking at the presentation, Talha said: “I felt very proud of myself, and it helped me to think about what I have done for the community. I felt very happy when I saw the Huddersfield Town players – I felt over the moon, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

“The feeling of helping people is indescribable and I feel like I have achieved something so great and doing the social action projects will help me in my life because I will learn skills that I can apply to help others.”

Osman Hussain, Talha’s father said: “As a parent, there is nothing you want more from your child than to be engaged in the community and to give something back to that community in any shape or form.

“I am proud of what he has achieved so far in the various projects that he has been involved in and with looking into the future at the projects he wants to work on in the community that he so dearly loves.”

Joe Scargill, Senior Youth Engagement Manager at the Huddersfield Town Foundation said: “Talha is an inspiration to many. His attitude, when presented with any opportunity, is always so positive. The drive and determination he naturally possesses have allowed him to flourish.

“We were delighted to nominate Talha for the PLCF Youth Panel, where he will have the opportunity to act as the voice of a generation to ultimately influence positive change.”

Over the next two weeks, the Premier League will be showcasing the impact of its flagship community and education programmes, Premier League Primary Stars, Premier League Kicks and Premier League Inspires, as well as the programmes run through the Premier League and PFA Community Fund.

Investment for these programmes is distributed through the Premier League Charitable Fund, which is one of the biggest sport charities in the world. Grants are given to professional club community organisations across the Premier League, EFL and National League, helping them employ more than 6,200 people.

Annual investment into the Premier League Charitable Fund has more than tripled in a decade, with a three-year budget in excess of £100 million.

During the Premier League Supports campaign, clubs across the game are celebrating a person who has been involved in one of the programmes funded by the Premier League, which is delivered at community venues and schools across the country.

As part of the campaign, the League is announcing two further investment packages, which will positively impact clubs at multiple levels, forming part of the £1.6 billion investment the Premier League has committed for wider football and communities between 2022 and 2025.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: “The Premier League is proud to provide world-leading financial support for football at every level, helping thousands of clubs to have a positive impact on their local community.

“Our wide-ranging investment supports an array of programmes within communities and the Premier League Supports campaign is an opportunity for clubs at all levels to celebrate the unsung heroes who help deliver or participate in this activity.

“The new funding announcements we are making highlight our commitment to deliver more support than ever before and will benefit the people and places that are the heartbeat of football up and down the country.

“The strength of the football pyramid in this country is unique and we will continue to look at new ways to support the entire game, directing funds where they are needed most.”