Getting their Kickz!

LINE up . . . the teams prepare for the match

YOUNG people have teamed up to help kick anti-social behaviour out of Oldham.

Kickz is a national project that uses football to encourage young people to develop social skills that will make them better members of their communities.

A six-month project in Oldham has seen more than 700 11-17-year-olds take part in football sessions and talks on nuisance behaviour to help change attitudes.

Football matches took place on Tuesday and Saturday evenings at the Grange synthetic pitch and the Millennium Centre in Westwood. The sessions also saw the young people working towards the AQA Streetwise certificate, which teaches them about the criminal justice system, the consequences of getting involved in crime and anti-social behaviour and the effects of alcohol and drugs.

The project ended with a football match between the young people and a team of police officers and youth workers.

And as an added bonus, Oldham Athletic invited the young people to Boundary Park to watch Latics take on Colchester on Saturday.

PC Mark Schofield, of the Challenge and Support Team, said: “These young people have really dedicated themselves to this project and we have built up a good relationship with them.

“I hope they will pass on what they’ve learnt to their peers and continue to work with us to make their community better and safer.”

James Mwale, inclusion and Kickz co-ordinator at Oldham Athletic Community Trust, said: “Young people have had the opportunity to explore issues around anti-social behaviour and discussions have been held around how they perceive the community in which they live and how they can have a positive impact.”