Local community project welcomes Mateusz Klich

Local community project welcomes Mateusz Klich

First-team star pays visit to CATCH Leeds with the Foundation.

Mateusz Klich was the special guest at CATCH in Harehills earlier this week as he learned more about the community project and the work being done with youngsters in the local area.

On arrival at the community space the Poland international was met by staff from the Leeds United Foundation and volunteers from CATCH who gave him an exclusive tour of the facilities on site, including; the cafe, games room, IT room, gym area and plenty more. The first-team star also spent time learning about the background of the project and future aims for the space and met with some of the young people that use the facilities, including a number of children whose native language is Polish.

Klich spoke to LUTV during the visit, and said: "I've learned a lot about this project during my visit, I didn't even know it existed before. It has been such a positive experience to see so many young people trying to help each other, and all for free with all of the equipment donated from local companies too.

"There are a lot of hard to reach areas in the world and having places like this for young children is so important in giving them a safe place to play and spend their time."

CATCH stands for 'Community Action to Create Hope' and the venue is run completely by volunteers from the local area who come from a range of backgrounds, aged 13 and above, that dedicate their spare time to providing a safe environment in the community. 

As part of the Premier League Kicks programme, the Leeds United Foundation have been working closely with the volunteers at CATCH to help support the young people using the venue. Staff spend time with the children on a Wednesday and Saturday every week to help give them positive and safe activities to take part in, including football sessions delivered by FA-qualified coaches.

Michael Kinsey, Operations Executive for Leeds United Foundation, said: "We've built a great partnership with the people at CATCH helping them with the work they are doing in the local community and we hope that facilities like this one can be rolled out in other areas of Leeds in the future.

"Football has got a magical ability of being able to connect and energise communities and we hope that the individuals that use this space and take part in our sessions feel a sense of belonging, inclusion and sense of trust."

As part of the visit on Wednesday evening, the Leeds United midfielder was also able to see first-hand a workshop being delivered to the young people as part of the week of action for tackling knife crime. Police officers from West Yorkshire Police were on hand to deliver the workshop, explaining the dangers of carrying a knife and giving examples of people who had turned their life around having previously been involved in knife crime.

Ahead of kick-off on Saturday afternoon, there will be an interactive van located outside the East Stand displaying videos and messaging around being #knifefree with local officers also available to speak to if you have any questions around knife crime or any other concerns, so please do not hesitate to go and speak to one of them.

X