Kickz was originally developed by the Metropolitan Police and the Premier League and is now managed centrally by the Football Foundation.

It was launched in April 2006 with pilot projects at four founder clubs (Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham, Brentford and Manchester City).

Kickz is designed to:

* Engage young people in a range of constructive activities.

* Break down barriers between the police and young people.

* Reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in targeted neighbourhoods.

* Increase young people's participation in sport and provide coaching and officiating opportunities.

* Create routes into volunteering, education, training and employment.

Comparing a four-month period in the year before the Kickz pilots were launched with the same four-month period a year later, the police found crime was down on average by 27 per cent on the days and times when sessions were delivered.

Following additional Government investment of £1m in Autumn 2006, a further 21 clubs joined the scheme (Arsenal, Birmingham City, Crystal Palace, Charlton Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Leyton Orient, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Millwall, Newcastle United, Portsmouth, QPR, Sunderland, Watford, Wigan Athletic, West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United).

In 2007/2008 the existing schemes were extended to include six additional clubs (Aston Villa, Barnet, Dagenham and Redbridge, Derby County, Reading and Sheffield United).

As part of a three-year central funding package to each Kickz club and their partners, local match funding is required to encourage the long-term sustainability of the project.

The overall national funding breakdown is as follows:
* Football Foundation: £4.71 million
* Metropolitan Police: £3 million
* Department for Culture Media and Sport / Premier League: £1 million
* Local match funding: £2.98 million (to be secured through local partners)

Twenty per cent of Kickz sessions take place in the top one per cent most deprived wards in England, while 84 per cent take place in the most deprived quarter of wards.

Nine major police forces around the country supported Kickz in the 2006/2007 season (The Metropolitan Police Service, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Northumbria, West Midlands, Cleveland, Lancashire, Hampshire and South Yorkshire Police forces) and the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Kickz is also supported by the Football Foundation, Premier League, Football Association, Football League, DCMS, HM Treasury, Respect Task Force, Department of Health, Youth Volunteering Charity V, and Supporters Direct.

Our Kickz centres are based at two sites.

The Derwent Kickz programme taking place at the Steve Bloomer Field runs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights 6pm to 9pm.

Over 50 young people attend sessions on a weekly basis with players eligible to represent Derby County in regional and national Kickz festivals.

The second project which launched in February 2009 is based at Derby Moor School and runs three nights a week, Monday, Friday and Saturday.