Villa Vitality

Kids in Birmingham are learning more about food and how to lead a healthier lifestyle, thanks to Villa Vitality.

The scheme is run by the club in partnership with the Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust.

The programme, which has run since November 2005, aims to encourage young people (school years six and seven) to get involved with sport and to appreciate the importance of eating healthily.

The pupils learn about food and drink, record a radio programme as well as taking part in football challenges in the Indoor Academy.

Head of Community Duncan Riddle said: "It's a very important programme because it teaches kids about healthy eating and sport.

"They learn important lessons for a healthier life in the future."

Playing for Success

Playing for Success is delivered from the Villan Learning Zone (VLZ) within Villa Park.

Students at the centre get up to speed in the key skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT - the foundation stones of education.

Children have left Villa Park with improved skills, motivation and self-esteem, giving them a real boost and, in many cases, a new start on which they can build back at school.

The VLZ has been open since October 2003 and has been housed in the Doug Ellis Stand since September 2004. The centre can deliver a wide range of courses and has the facilities to produce and edit digital films and their own professional radio studio to enable all pupils to produce their own shows.

At the end of each course, the children attend a celebration evening. It is held in the Holte Suite at Villa Park and each pupil receives an award from an Aston Villa first teamer.

Edutrust

Villa have joined forces with Edutrust - the educational experts running three city academy schools in Birmingham.

We will be advising on sporting educational matters in the trio of schools.

The focus of Edutrust is a commitment to improving significantly the aspirations, learning, achievement and personal development of young people.

Aston Villa CIC

Aston Villa is the first Premiership football club to set up a Community Interest Company (CIC).

The CIC programme is a government backed initiative, designed to provide new and exciting educational and training opportunities.

These are available at Villa Park for young people in the community and also for students in primary education through to further education level.

With a state-of-the-art IT centre and radio studios, the club's Villan Radio provides media and education courses for visiting students.

The courses themselves fall into line with the CIC strategy formulated by a new board of trustees, who themselves have been selected from a wide range of backgrounds, to represent the best interests of the CIC's work.