Nelson and Colne College A level student Jamaal Sajid has been named as Burnley Football Club’s Community Captain,as part of the Premier League’s “More than a game” campaign.
17-year-old Jamaal, who has a conditional offer to study medicine at Cambridge, was presented with the Premier League Kicks Captain Community Captain award pennant and special captain’s armband at the Leisure Box in Brierfield by Burnley FC (BFC) players Jay Rodriguez and Josh Cullen.
Jamaal was also immortalised in a huge mural on the wall of the sports hall – which hosts weekly Premier League Kicks sessions.
Clubs across the Premier League, EFL and National League are naming a Community Captain, somebody at the heart of their Premier League-funded programmes who deserves recognition for their commitment and contribution to the game and their local community.
Jamaal volunteers via the Premier League Kicks initiative, run in conjunction with Burnley FC in the Community (BFCinC). The programme creates opportunities for young people through sport, mentoring and personal development opportunities.
He has also supported the charity by utilising the Clarets Youth Board platform to share his thoughts and pitch his ideas with senior members of Burnley FC in the Community, while providing staff with ideas for educational workshops, referring friends and fellow college students to their sessions, and encouraging others to access all the programmes they offer.
Jamaal has been rewarded for his journey and the impact on his local community by having a unique mural painted at the local Leisure Box facility, which hosts weekly PL Kicks sessions, as he was named as Burnley’s Community Captain as part of the Premier League’s “More than a game” campaign.
Launched in 2006 to create safer and more inclusive communities Premier League Kicks has had a significant impact on people and places over the last 18 years.
Gary Goldsmith, who teaches Jamaal Chemistry at Nelson and Colne College, said: “There’s no one more deserving for this award than Jamaal. He is an outstanding student academically and the extracurricular and volunteering work he undertakes with enthusiasm and commitment is quite remarkable. He’s a fantastic example to the rest of his peers and I know he’ll go on to be a success in whatever field he sets his mind to.”
Nelson and Colne College boast an impressive 99% A-level pass rate and takes pride in its reputation for guiding students toward aspirational careers at leading universities. A noteworthy 30% of students apply for courses in Law, Medicine, or Science and successfully gain admission to top-tier universities to pursue their studies in these fields.
Jamaal said: “I’m absolutely blown away by all this. I couldn’t do what I do without the support and encouragement I’ve received from everyone – both here with BFC in the Community and the college.
“Nelson and Colne College is the perfect learning environment: the connections that you build, the encouragement the opportunities, I don’t believe there’s anywhere better to study to be honest. It’s given me so much. It’s going to take some time to get used to seeing my face painted on this wall every time I come here though.”
Lewis Hickie Youth Engagement Manager from Burnley FC in Community said: “Jamaal’s impact on our community and the Youth Engagement Department at Burnley FC in the Community has been huge. He’s given us tonnes of ideas for educational workshops, suggested new sports to add to our line-up, and brought along friends and college mates to our sessions, making sure everyone gets a chance to benefit from what we offer.
“Everyone who meets him remarks what an incredibly positive, welcoming, and intelligent young man he is We are incredibly proud of all his achievements and can’t wait to see where his journey takes him next.”
