A youth charity dedicated to improving lives through sport has today received a £4,000 shirt sponsorship donation from PHTA Ltd as part of its commitment to reducing health inequality in the UK’s second city.
Birmingham Youth Sport Academy (BYSA) offers professional football coaching to girls and boys aged 6-18, as well as mentoring, tutoring and youth support services. Since it was founded 21 years ago its aim has been to engage, inspire and unite young people – providing a supportive and inclusive environment for them not only keep fit and enjoy sport, but also learn key social and life skills. This approach has helped keep thousands of young people in education, with many going on to further and higher education.
BYSA Chairman, Professor Paul Cadman, explained: “We began as a voluntary coaching organisation, giving local kids a positive way to spend their weekends, but as we’ve grown over the years we’ve added our mentoring programme which helps develop our members’ academic and career prospects. Alongside this we now offer a Centre of Excellence for players with greater ambitions for their football, and PHTA’s kind donation is invaluable sport for our four league teams as we head into the new season.”
PHTA’s CEO, Professor Gino Martini, added: “A healthy body and healthy mind go hand in hand, and the health benefits of playing football – as well as the social and emotional support that comes with being part of a team – are well known. BYSA makes an incredible impact on the lives of the young people it supports and by becoming sponsors, we hope we can contribute to reducing health inequality in our city as well as giving young people a lifelong love of the beautiful game.”
Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street attended the cheque presentation as part of his role as BYSA Ambassador, and commented: “BYSA has a remarkable history here in our region and has without doubt been a force for immense good over the years – inspiring, exciting and motivating young people from a wide range of backgrounds. It’s no wonder local companies and organisations want to step up and support their work so many thanks to PHTA for their generous sponsorship. Through their grassroots mentorship approach, BYSA are changing lives for the better and I’m sure they will continue to do so in the months and years ahead. I’m grateful for all that they do.”
For more information about supporting the BYSA charity, visit https://bysa.co.uk/.
