Football club gives out free school PE kits

Stockport County said children were missing out on PE because they did not have kits

A football club is providing PE kits for 3,500 pupils in a town for the new school year to help families struggling with the cost of living.

Stockport County Community Trust said “a recurring theme” in primary schools was “children sitting out of PE lessons because they didn’t have PE kits”.

The club, who became League Two champions in April, are also aiming to raise funds to provide 12,500 PE kits to be distributed by September 2025.

A Stockport County spokesman said “pressures on the family purse” contributed to a lack of participation by primary school children, as a PE kit was seen “as a nice-to-have for families with less disposable income”.

Playground stigma

There are believed to be about 8,000 children living in low-income families in the borough.

Stockport County Community Trust said PE lessons provided the main exercise for about half of primary school children locally.

It said about 30% of primary school leavers were categorised as obese and “the need to help get these children active and engaged in PE has never been greater”.

Stockport County recently won the League Two title and celebrated in the town

Alison Warwood, chief executive of the trust, said: “Not having a PE kit shouldn’t be what stops children from taking part in physical activity.

“The school’s ‘lost and found’ bin sadly comes with a playground stigma and, if children are to enjoy PE in school, they need their own kit to take pride in.”

Stockport County owner Mark Stott said the PE kits for this September would be given to schools most in need, including “families who fall outside of traditional indicators such as universal credit and the pupil premium".

Ms Warwood said the trust estimated almost half of Stockport’s primary school children could benefit from the new kits.

“We want to raise enough funds so next year, we can provide 12,500 PE kits, helping to get more children active and enjoying sport,” she said.