Palace manager Oliver Glasner said: “It’s a fantastic afternoon for us supporting the Foundation and all the activities they are doing.
"When you come here, you are told that it’s nice for the children, but it’s a great experience for all of us as well to interact with them, to play and have fun with them.”
The teams were split up into groups of six or seven and spent ten minutes with each programme, meeting the participants.
One programme which really stood out to Ebere Eze was the mentoring session, with the England international saying: “The Foundation's mentorship programme is so key because there are people who are growing up, being influenced by the different people around them; these mentors are guiding them and keeping them on the straight and narrow.”
Sarah Hoddy, Targeted Intervention Manager at Palace for Life, added: “We provide a one-to-one mentoring service that’s not football based, it’s a completely free service to access.
"Young people get referred in. They might be going through something – it might be mental health, they might be at risk of criminality – and they come along, get some support from a professional in a really relaxed, informal setting.”
Another programme present at the day was the Foundation's flagship community programme, Premier League Kicks.
After having a kickaround with the participants, Palace Women defender Fliss Gibbons said: “Crystal Palace as a football club are really proud of the work we do in the community.
"Without things like this we wouldn’t be where we are. It’s really nice for us to come down and hopefully make their days a little bit better.”
If you would like to donate to help Palace for Life Foundation reach even more young south Londoners, head here.
Why donate?
Palace for Life Foundation is the official charity of Crystal Palace F.C., which has been working with the south London community for over 25 years.
The Foundation use the power of football and the Palace community to change the lives of young people across south London, particularly the most hard-to-reach and hard-to-help, working with over 15,000 people each year to inspire them to find a better path and to lead a healthier life.
The money you raise will go towards three key areas of the Foundation's work:
- Keeping more young people away from knife crime, violence and anti-social behaviour
- Helping more young people find career & job opportunities
- Supporting more young people with their mental & physical health
