The Premier League and EA SPORTS FC have teamed up to launch a free education resource designed to build teamwork and support a positive and inclusive football culture in primary schools.
The new Positive Play with EA SPORTS FC resource complements existing PE and classroom practice and is available to every primary school in England and Wales through Premier League Primary Stars, the Premier League’s primary school education programme.
Developed in partnership with teachers, subject-specialists and EA SPORTS’ grassroots programme: FC FUTURES, the free resource combines football, physical activity and gaming to empower pupils to develop the physical and mental skills needed to be great leaders and teammates, both in the classroom and on the sports field.
With recent research* showing that four in five young people say sport-themed video games motivate them to be active in real life, Positive Play with EA SPORTS FC uses in-game training drills from EA SPORTS FC 26, leadership activities and accountability exercises, helping children aged 7-11 to develop the key skills they need to promote inclusivity.
Premier League Director of Community Nick Perchard, said: “The new Premier League Primary Stars Positive Play with EA SPORTS FC resource uses children’s passion for football to engage them in learning.
“The resource is our latest free offering for primary school teachers with the Premier League’s lead partner, Electronic Arts. It complements the Premier League Primary Stars suite of more than 650 free primary school resources designed to use children’s love of the sport to help them to learn and engage in classroom and playground activities.”
On Thursday (27 November), primary school teachers from Everton in the Community’s partner schools in Merseyside were among the first to engage with the new Premier League Primary Stars Positive Play with EA SPORTS FC resource, as they joined former Premier League footballer Joleon Lescott and BWSL footballer Nikita Parris for a special webinar and panel discussion at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Elena Barton, Everton in the Community Premier League Primary Stars Senior Coordinator and Helen Raley-Williams, Headteacher, Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School joined Lescott and Parris to explore how keeping active with sports like football can give pupils life skills that extend way beyond the pitch or the playground.
Speaking at the event Joleon Lescott, said: “I grew up playing football. I am a parent as well now to teenage kids and I understand the importance of teamwork, playing in sport and the activity aspect of it. It’s not just about winning and losing, it’s about developing as people and young adults.”
BWSL footballer and England Lioness Nikita Parris, said: Football is a team sport. Many people put football down to winning and losing and the competitiveness of that, but in order to win you need the best team and the best team is not the best players.
“Ultimately, the best team is those players who can get the best out of each other, and the teams in which I’ve been a part of, it’s never been all the best players in one team. It’s always been a mixture of players and abilities, ages, sizes and how you find the camaraderie within each other to get the best out of one another. The only way to do that is through communication.”
The new Positive Play resource provides practical ideas and expert guidance to help teachers to create an open, inclusive football culture in schools. From boosting teamwork and confidence to promoting inclusion, the resource is designed to support pupil wellbeing through the positive influence of football.
The free Key Stage 2 curriculum-linked resources also build pupil voice, accountability and responsibility while supporting active play.
EA SPORTS FC Senior Director, Partnerships Marketing, James Salmon said: “We know how strongly young people connect with both football and gaming, and the Premier League Positive Play resources, created with EA SPORTS FC FUTURES, harness that passion to support their development in a meaningful way.
“By combining in-game training, physical activity and teamwork-based learning, we’re helping pupils build confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging. We’re proud to work with the Premier League to give teachers practical tools that make a genuine difference in classrooms and playgrounds across the country.”
Launched in 2017, Premier League Primary Stars is the Premier League’s primary school education programme.
Funded by the Premier League through the Premier League Foundation, the programme uses the appeal of football to help children to be active and develop essential life skills.
Premier League Primary Stars resources support a range of curriculum subjects at Key Stage 1 (age 5-7) and Key Stage 2 (age 7-11). More than 75,000 teachers have registered online to access more than 650 free national curriculum-linked resources to date.
Currently 104 professional football club charities from across the leagues receive Premier League funding to deliver Premier League Primary Stars sessions within local schools.
Electronic Arts (EA) is the Premier League’s lead partner and official video-game license-holder. And this isn’t the first time EA have partnered with the Premier League Primary Stars programme to support younger generations: in 2018, together they launched motion capture PE clips for girls and boys aged 5-11 in primary schools across England and Wales, featuring Marcus Rashford.
To view the webinar and sign up for the free Positive Play with EA SPORTS FC resources, or to find out more about Premier League Primary Stars, please visit plprimarystars.com.
