A project to get young people playing more sport and cut local crime will soon be launched at Reading Football Club Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced on Friday.

The Kickz programme offers young people evening football coaching sessions and competitions, basketball, street dance, DJ workshops and sessions covering lifestyle issues such as drug awareness and the dangers of weapons.

Mr Brown announced today that £11 million will be distributed to clubs across the country and Reading Football Club and their local partners have been selected to receive three years funding to deliver Kickz locally. The Reading FC project is expected to be up and running in the coming months.

Evaluation of pilot Kickz projects showed that local crime has fallen by an average of 27 per cent when the sessions are delivered.

The projects are often targeted at deprived areas, with eighty four per cent of projects taking place in the top twenty three per cent of the most deprived wards in England.

Kickz, which started in April 2006, is a partnership between the police, football industry and Government and aims to create safer, stronger and more respectful communities by engaging with young people.

Kickz also encourages participants to take up volunteering and pursue coaching qualifications as well as providing routes into training, education and employment.

The Prime Minister said, "Football clubs are perfectly placed to offer something back to some of the most marginalised members of society. Through Kickz they can help young people get involved in their community and learn self-respect, personal achievement and a sense of responsibility.

"Kickz shows the extraordinary power of football and sport in general to reach young people and provide a route into volunteering, training, education and employment.

"The funding we have pledged today will ensure that this partnership between the Government, football organisations and the police continues to grow and deliver positive results for young people and their wider communities in the years ahead."

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport James Purnell said, "Giving young people the chance to play football in the evenings means that instead of hanging around on the streets they have something to do that they enjoy that is also healthy. This is an end in itself but Kickz is about much more than that. It helps build greater links between young people and the local police, and the evidence shows it can help cut anti-social behaviour. That's why this fantastic scheme is worth backing. I applaud the Football Foundation, the Metropolitan Police and the Premier League for their excellent work on Kickz."

Football Foundation Chief Executive Paul Thorogood added, "I am proud of how effective Kickz has been in building safer communities and providing opportunities for our most disadvantaged young people. The Prime Minister's vision, when he entrusted the Football Foundation with an additional £1m in the 2006 Budget to deliver Kickz, is now an impressive reality. This significant new funding means that Kickz can reach even more towns and cities, offering hope to those in our most deprived urban areas while contributing to real reductions in crime and antisocial behaviour."

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore said, "Kickz was created by the Premier League with the Metropolitan Police only 18 months ago. We are genuinely thrilled at the progress and results that it has shown in that short time. The Premier League will stay at the heart of Kickz; bringing not just the resources to help deliver it, but also the commitment of our Clubs and their players who are crucial in encouraging young people to become part of the project."