Premier League 4 Sport (PL4S), a pioneering sports participation programme, has exceeded its initial target of engaging 25,000 young people in the Olympic sports of badminton, judo, table tennis and volleyball by over 50%.

Since the programme began it is has provided 39,327 youngsters across the country with an opportunity to sample four new sports and contributed 25% of the overall increase in participation in badminton, judo, table tennis and volleyball.

Launched in 2009, PL4S is a joint venture between the Premier League, Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust. It was funded by a £3.8 million investment through the Premier League Creating Chances programme in partnership with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. The initiative has provided a blueprint for the idea of turning secondary schools into community sports clubs. Such has been its success that an additional £2m of funding from the Premier League will double the number of Olympic sports PL4S works with.

Olympic gold medallist Darren Campbell and former Chelsea star Graeme Le Saux at the PL4S Celebration Event

PL4S sees Premier League clubs acting as hubs linked to community sports clubs and facilities, which in turn are connected to local secondary schools to create satellite sports centres. Each of the 20 clubs involved has a dedicated PL4S coordinator working locally with the sports clubs and schools to maximise opportunities for young people.

This approach has helped expand the offer provided by each sport. By being demand driven and with a more informal focus, each sport has been able to appeal to a wide range of young people who might not have had the confidence, time or money to travel to sessions at football clubs. The three key aims of PL4S are:

•  Engage – get young people to try a sport for a first time

•  Retain – develop interest in repeat participation, and ensure participants take part in five or more sports sessions in one term

•  Sustain – make a commitment to competition and coaching qualifications, and ensure that participants take part in ten or more sessions across two terms.

Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore said: “Our clubs bring unique qualities to a project like Premier League 4 Sport, and not just the power of the club badge to attract young people’s involvement. The dedication of the clubs and their staff to this project has ensured that PL4S has gone way past the targets first set in 2009.

"Delivering on the promises of London 2012 is not necessarily the job of the Premier League, but we say why not? We have the ability to do it and it is a yet another opportunity to work in partnership with Government and make a positive contribution.

"What we have shown through PL4S is that participation through football works and that is why we are committing another £2m over the next two years and rolling it out to four more sports. PL4S will provide tens of thousands more competitive sporting opportunities and help develop a new generation of coaches. That is real legacy.”

Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt said: “ Football can be incredibly powerful in engaging young people.  The Premier League 4 Sport scheme has already involved tens of thousands of young people, and has given a huge boost to grassroots sport. The extra funding announced today by the Premier League means that the project will be able to offer even more sports.  Initiatives like this will do a huge amount to help deliver the Government’s plans to encourage young people to develop a sporting habit for life.”