Premier League Executive Chairman Richard Scudamore has hailed the legacy provided by London Stadium and West Ham United Foundation at the launch of the Premier League/BT Disability Programme.
West Ham United’s new home played host to the launch of the new three-year programme that aims to create opportunities and inspire disabled people through sport.
The initiative will utilise the profile and expertise of the Premier League, BT Group, professional football clubs and BT Sport to inspire disabled people to become more active as well as develop new skills and confidence.
West Ham were one of ten clubs who put on activities at London Stadium, including Visual Impairment, Down’s Syndrome and Power Chair football, giving an insight into the valuable work already being carried out by clubs in their communities.
“What we have here is a showcase of what is going on at our clubs around the country in terms of disability sport and encouraging people to get involved in all sorts of different sports, not just football,” Scudamore explained.
“We are here launching the new joint venture between the Premier League and BT Group, where each Premier League club will up its resources and activities in this area to expand these programmes that have been going on for a long time into much wider areas.”
The Executive Chairman praised West Ham’s award-winning Foundation, which is engaging tens of thousands of people across east London and Essex with its wide variety of schemes, programmes, educational courses and initiatives.
“I’ve met West Ham before and I always say that West Ham are at the leading edge of this space and always come up and deliver,” he enthused. “Joe Lyons, who runs the Community side, and the whole Club always embrace what is going on.
“The partner here is BT and their studios are only a stone’s throw from London Stadium, so we were over there before coming over to this fantastic facility.
“You can see how exciting it is for people from the other clubs’ community and disability arms to come down and be part of this at this Stadium.”
In closing, Scudamore paid tribute to the hundreds of youngsters who took part in the launch events at London Stadium, saying those with disabilities set an example with their positive outlook.
“The thing that always strikes you the most is the smiles, the positivity and the energy” he observed. “People may have things that make their lives a little more challenging than the rest of us, but they bring this tremendous energy and enthusiasm to it.”