Leeds United are pleased to announce Hope Gatewood as our Community Captain for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, as part of the ongoing ‘More Than A Game’ initiative.
We join the Premier League and other clubs in highlighting the positive impact of the League’s investment into communities and wider football ahead of our fixture against Brentford on Saturday evening, with our new Community Captain invited as a special guest for the match.
‘More Than A Game’ showcases the Premier League’s long-standing commitment to supporting the community activity of clubs at all levels of the game, whilst also providing an opportunity to celebrate the 2.5 million people who have participated in Premier League-funded community programmes.
During this instalment of ‘More Than A Game’ there is a focus on the League’s flagship community programme, Premier League Kicks, with our Community Captain being chosen through her link to the programme.
To help award our Community Captain, first-team players Sam Byram and Ilia Gruev both turned up at a bespoke Premier League Kicks session recently, to thank her first-hand for the incredible things she is doing in the Leeds community. The Leeds United duo spent time chatting with Hope, before engaging with the young participants involved in her football sessions, taking selfies and signing autographs.
Hope Gatewood has been delivering free football sessions for youngsters in the Little London area of Leeds for five years, inspired by creating positive and safe environments for children growing up in an area which has been affected by gangs and antisocial behaviour.
Her dedication to the young people soon resulted in a coaching role with the Leeds United Foundation, with Hope’s efforts expanding the reach of our Premier League Kicks delivery, engaging hard-to-reach children and strengthening the reputation of the club’s official charity.
Everyone associated with the club is truly grateful for the courage and commitment Hope has shown over the last five years, empowering youngsters, boosting confidence and leadership and bridging the gap between local residents and the Foundation to help build inclusive communities.
Frances Milner, CEO at the Leeds United Foundation, said: “Hope is definitely a worthy Community Captain, she is an amazing person doing brilliant things every week in Leeds, giving these children wonderful opportunities and experiences.
“Hope truly embodies the Premier League Kicks values; resilience, kindness and selflessness and you can really see that the kids and their safety are at the heart of everything she does. Every community needs someone like Hope!”
Leeds United defender, Sam Byram, added: “Until you are here and you get to see it first-hand, it may be hard to understand her impact, but I think she does an incredible job and you can see how happy they all are. Huge appreciation from all of us for everything she is doing, along with her son Zion who is now also a coach with the Foundation.”
At the end of the presentation, which took place on the 3G pitches at Leeds Beckett University, Hope spoke to LUTV and said: “It feels fantastic to be recognised, I don’t really know how to put it into words, but the sleepless nights and any stresses have definitely paid off, these children are my everything.
“We're part of Little London, Woodhouse, which is a bit of a deprived area, so to see the smiles on the kids faces, giving them an opportunity just to kick a ball, it really is just great, I love it.”
If you would like any further information around the Premier League Kicks programme as it celebrates its 20th anniversary, please click here.
We look forward to welcoming Hope and her guests to game this weekend and thank her for everything she does in our local community.
