Creating Chances kicks off again

Steven Gerrard shows youngsters the healthy way to eat

The Premier League's Creating Chances scheme will again give non-profit making good causes the chance to "win" a top-flight footballer for the day.

Community groups and charities can apply for the prize until 8 August on the Premier League's website.

Each club will choose a winner who will get a player and £4,000 donation.

It will be the second season the scheme will run and is designed to showcase the work Premier League clubs do in their local communities.

On a wider scale, players and managers will take part in charitable work in their local community as the Premier League and its 20 clubs will work with 200 good causes during September and November.

Among the highlights last season were Steven Gerrard promoting healthy eating by showing off his culinary skills to disadvantaged children in Liverpool and Manchester City's Didi Hamann spending an evening working in a soup kitchen for the homeless in Stockport.

West Ham player Mark Noble visited Richard House Children's Hospice in east London as part of the scheme.

He said "If it wasn't for Creating Chances then a lot of players - myself included - would be oblivious to it.

"It's opened footballers eyes to what people in real life are going through."

Hammers striker Craig Bellamy went to a school in south-east London to talk about the effects of drink and drug misuse.

He added: "I've realised I have to do more things like Creating Chances because there are a lot of children who do look up to you as footballers, so you do have a big responsibility to show them the way to go."

Richard Scudamore, the chief executive of the Premier League, said: "Community engagement is woven into the fabric of football and the size and scope of that commitment today really is something of which the Premier League, our clubs and the players can be extremely proud."

Full details about Creating Chances can be found on the Premier League's official website.

Premier League's Creating Chances