Premier League Primary Stars

PREMIER League Primary Stars uses the appeal of the Premier League and professional football clubs to inspire children to learn, be active and develop important life skills.

Available to every primary school in England and Wales, it inspires girls and boys aged 5-11 in the classroom, the playground and on the sports field. Teaching materials cover subjects from English and Maths to teamwork and PE, with free to download activity ideas, worksheets, lesson plans, fun assemblies and exclusive videos.

There are further extra special opportunities for schools that register, such as a visit from the the Premier League Trophy for a day.

Archibald’s Primary School in Middlesbrough is one such winner from this draw, and the event was supported by our very own Roary the mascot, who was challenged to games of Table Tennis.

Adding value to this programme is the contribution that Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation makes by offering local schools the opportunity to draft in professional coaching from our team of experts who work with teachers to deliver fun, educational PE & Sport sessions.

A squad of highly qualified and motivated coaches with many years’ experience of working in primary schools with all ages of children including those with special needs.

The programme provided by the Foundation also allows partner schools to enter local football competitions with the opportunity to progress to national events organised by the Premier League. The Foundation has a direct connection with Middlesbrough Football Club’s Academy and scouts regularly attend football tournaments to identify new and progressive talented young people, and local events are regularly held at the prestigious training ground where it is possible to meet the first team players.

Our emphasis is very much on quality rather than quantity and our competitively priced programmes aim to educate and enthuse both pupils and staff. These are the moments children will cherish throughout their school life and as our programmes are linked to curriculum studies, we find that children’s ability to learn increases as they become more confident.

All schools that sign up to the Primary Stars website will receive a free values incentive pack with stickers and certificates to reward positive behaviour and achievements. For those who wish to enhance their offer through a programme that teaches children to work hard and never give up on their goals, give us a call or email for a free appraisal of your current and future needs and to see how we can assist.

Contact Natalie Guy on 01642 282128 or via email on natalie.guy@mfcfoundation.co.uk

Friend of the Foundation Land of Iron have teamed up with Redcar Athletic Football Club to create the inaugural Steel & Iron Cup in Redcar.

With support from Tees Valley Combined Authority, the event, at Redcar Athletic’s Green Lane ground, will run on Friday 19^th and Saturday 20^th July 2024.

The idea stems from a conversation between staff at Land of Iron and Redcar Athletic around the historic Bury Cup – a football tournament at Skinningrove’s ironworks which ran from 1912 until 1972 between teams from former and current iron and steelworking communities.

With a firm focus on industrial heritage, and how sport and recreation played a large part within iron and steel communities, this year the pre-season trophy will be contested between Redcar Athletic and Barrow-in-Furness’ Holker Old Boys on Saturday 20^th July at 1pm.

Holker Old Boys were formed in 1936 and are based in Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. With a long tradition of iron mining and steelmaking in the area, they were the perfect choice for this inaugural fixture between the east coast and west coast teams.

On Friday 19^th July a free Heritage day will take place at Redcar Athletic with music, stalls, and family activities. Land of Iron’s Mine on the Move display, Teesside Archives, British Steel, Teesworks, Unite the Union, Community Union, and MFC Foundation – including an appearance by Middlesbrough FC’s Roary the Lion. Doors will open to the public at 3pm with a range of activities running until 6pm.

From 7pm, a panel of experts on industrial heritage will take part in a discussion around iron and steel making on Teesside, how our industry helped build the infrastructure of the world in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, and how our shared heritage feeds into the future of industry on Teesside today and into the future.

A chance conversation between Ryan McKnight, Managing Director of Redcar Athletic and Nick Wesson, Marketing Manager at Land of Iron began the whole process. For Land of Iron, the chance to work with Redcar Athletic on such an exciting project was too good an opportunity to turn down.

Marie Woods, Chief Executive of Land of Iron, said: “Since Land of Iron re-opened to the public in 2023, we have reached out to, and worked with, our community as much as possible. Our aims are not only to preserve our iron and steel heritage for future generations, but to engage people with our local history in different and new ways. Partnering with Redcar Athletic to create the Steel & Iron Cup is a brilliant way for us to make history relevant to more people and to celebrate the social history of our area too.”

Ryan McKnight, Chief Executive of Redcar Athletic Football Club added: “Redcar Athletic are The Steelmen and this launch event is hopefully the start of a fantastic annual event that will celebrate the heritage of our steel making and iron mining history.

“We are grateful to Holker Old Boys of Barrow – a town which has a proud steel making history of its own – for supporting the weekend.

“We’re calling on everyone with a direct or family connection to the steel works or iron mining – and if you don’t, come and find out more about our local history – to come down to Green Lane on the 19^th and the 20^th July as it will be a fantastic event.”

Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen commented: “Our area has an incredible industrial heritage and is it important we pay tribute to that history as we also look forward. The Steel and Iron Cup is a fantastic way of celebrating that past and I look forward to this being the start of a great annual event bringing together steel communities from across the country.”

The Steel & Iron Cup football match will take place between Redcar Athletic and Holker Old Boys at 3pm on Saturday 20^th July and will also feature stalls and entertainment at the ground from 12pm. Entry is £5 adults / £3 concessions / £2 under-16s. Tickets can be purchased on the day.

Entertainment on Friday 19th is free of charge.