The West Ham United Foundation is currently without a key member of the team - Katie Bottom is a coach for the Foundation, working within the Women’s and Girls programmes which are delivered across East London and Essex, but at the moment she’s in Mumbai, India.
Katie was selected by the Premier League for the second consecutive year to travel across the globe to assist in the delivery of the life-changing Premier Skills programme.
The initiative is delivered by the Premier League in association with the British Council across 25 countries within Asia, Africa and the Americas and aims to develop the skills of underprivileged communities whilst drawing on the expertise of the top clubs in the English game.
This year the programme has also partnered with the Indian Super League and its clubs for the first time. The ISL is the biggest footballing competition in India, and matches often draw attendances of in access of 50,000.
Katie’s role as a Coach Educator in Mumbai will see her coach, tutor and mentor existing and aspiring coaching staff, whilst also working directly with the grassroots coaches of Indian Super League clubs to help develop their understanding of the game.
This year’s programme is currently in its first phase, but aims to incorporate over 3,000 schools and colleges within phases two and three, which will in turn see West Ham Foundation send further members of its respected coaching set up across the world to deliver on behalf of the Premier League.
We’ll be catching up with Katie on her return to the UK, but for now, you can keep an eye on how she is spreading the West Ham message via our Twitter page @WHU_Foundation.