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The project was set up by the Police to address anti social behaviour in Plymouth and ties in with the Young Runaways Project as young people involved are offered places on the sports programme. Police youth issues manager Sgt Clive Collier (talking to the Hearld) said: "The Plymouth Youth Sport and Opportunity Project was set up on the back of police moving on young people on the streets of Plymouth on Friday and Saturday nights.
"The young people said there was nothing for them to do, so we, in the police's youth team, took that on board.
"We are here to prevent young people getting involved in crime, so we approached the Mayflower Centre in April and the Youth Sport Project was born."
The project now has over 90 members and is attended by around 50 regulars every Friday night. The Football Foundation, http://www.footballfoundation.org.uk/ is the UK's largest sports charity funded by the Premier League, the FA, Sport England and the Government.
The organisation's mission is to 'improve facilities, create opportunities and build communities throughout England'.
Sgt Collier said: "The foundation wanted to support a grass-roots football project at the centre over three years, including training FA level one and two coaches and getting the young people involved in football.
"But, apart from football, the project also caters for basketball, football, badminton, trampolining, fitness and other sports and pursuits.
"And, of course, it is a great place for young people to meet and socialise which is off the streets.
"A local community nurse has been supplying fruit to encourage healthy eating.
"The entire project has so far been a rapid success - and we thank the Football Foundation for helping to take the project forward."
Plymouth City Council's Cabinet Member for Healthy Communities and Leisure was quoted in the Herald as saying "This project is an extraordinary success story. It's a shining example of partners working together with a shared determination to get to the very root of one of the most pressing problems of the modern age."
As well as football the project also offers opportunities to play basketball, football, badminton, trampolining, fitness and other sports and pursuits and meets at The Mayflower Sports Centre, Off Outland Road between 6.30 and 9pm and caters for 13 to 18 year olds.
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