Jordan Pickford, Everton and England’s number one, surprised an Everton in the Community participant with a day in Liverpool 4 that he’ll never forget.
From his first visit to the Premier League’s Kicks sessions just over three years ago and since then, 12-year-old Charlie has journey of remarkable transformation from when he first walked through the doors in 2021.
Just 12 months ago, charity staff were exploring pathways for Charlie to get support with ADHD medication after identifying that he displayed behavioural symptoms of the condition. He was often banned from sessions for showing signs of aggression towards other participants and struggled to regulate his emotions.
Despite initial reservations from Charlie and his family, EitC encouraged him to seek targeted support for his ADHD and subsequently set up a session specifically designed for neurodivergent young people. He has been attending these sessions for just over a year now and has learnt to not only live but thrive with his condition.
Fast forward to the now, as the Evertonian readied himself for an afternoon under the guise of a ground tour of the Grand Old Lady in acknowledgement of his progress over the last 12 months, he is calm, courteous and although a boy of few words, his impromptu one-liners reiterate he still has that cheeky endearing side to him.
And as Charlie opened his ground tour with a visit to the players tunnel and changing room, to his surprise, his Toffees hero was waiting in the wings to greet him.
The Blues shot stopper embraced Charlie and congratulated him on his personal transformation before gifting him a signed Pickford shirt and a pair of goalkeeper gloves before they both enjoyed a candid chat whilst walking around the Grand Old Lady.
Superfan Charlie was also eager to show Pickford his trophy and medal from representing Everton at this year’s Premier League Disability Festival, where his team won the tournament, and he bagged top goal scorer.
Charlie takes part in his EitC sessions over the road from Goodison at EitC’s 4G Cruyff Court, so it was only appropriate that the pair then headed over there for a hands-on ‘Kicks Keepers’ session with other participants from the charity’s Premier League Kicks programme. Pickford was put through his paces with a series of goalkeeping drills and a penalty shootout before he concluded his visit by presenting Charlie with an Everton goody bag and tickets for the next home game.
The session, hosted at EitC’s campus reiterates the charity’s work in L4, and with Everton’s move to a new stadium on the horizon, the charity recently reaffirmed its commitment to the area surrounding Goodison Park through ‘Forever’, a campaign which reinforces Everton Football Club’s commitment to the area.
Meanwhile, Premier League Kicks Youth Worker, Elena Barton, proudly spoke about Charlie’s growth during the past year, how he has exceeded all expectations and continues to flourish despite his personal challenges.
Elena said:
“When you look at Charlie three years ago and you look at him now, he’s still the same boy with the same character but how much he’s personally developed is massive. When he first started with Kicks, he used to get banned on a regular basis and it all simply came down to him not being able to manage his emotions. Now, he’s always the first one here and he turns up every week, even if it’s just him.”
“Over 50% of the kids here today have ADHD which proves the importance of providing the neurodiverse session that Charlie has been attending. It’s amazing to have Pickford here today, you can see the amount of young people who have Pickford and Everton kits on – it’s all about having those role models to look up to.”
Delivered through the Steve Morgan Community Impact Model and funded by the Premier League Charitable Fund, Premier League Kicks uses the power of sport to support ‘hard-to-reach’ young people in school and community settings, engaging them in positive diversionary activities.
The programme aims to develop participants’ confidence, self-esteem and raise their aspirations as well as providing early intervention works to prevent problems from occurring.
Premier League Kicks is one of over 60+ programmes and initiatives delivered by Everton in the Community which support tens of thousands of individuals from across the Liverpool City Region each year.
To find out more about the impact EitC has had in L4 to date and how to support the sustainability of its delivery, click here.
READ MORE: Everton Ambassadors pay christmas visit to Woodlands Hospice
