Monday 12 December 2016 17:48, UK
Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League Kicks Hero - Sivan Sherabayani - has been immortalised by a Marvel and DC Comics artist alongside club legend Ledley King and current star Dele Alli.
Sherabayani, who has risen from a participant in the programme to an FA Level 1 coach, has been depicted along with the Spurs representatives to commemorate 10 years of the youth outreach initiative.
Following support from the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and through the Kicks Hero programme, 24-year-old Sherabayani from Haringey now runs his own weekend coaching programme for two to seven-year-olds.
While being honoured at Spurs' Ferry Lane facility in Tottenham, he said: "When I first started taking part in the Kicks programme, I could never have imagined that I would now be running my own business.
"The team at Tottenham Hotspur Foundation inspired me and helped give me the confidence and drive I needed to reach my full potential. I couldn't have done all this without them and Kicks."
Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Ledley King, who is now a club ambassador, said: "Premier League Kicks is a fantastic initiative that has and continues to do great work in our local area and around the country.
"I was here to launch the national expansion ten years ago, and I've seen first-hand how it increases footballing opportunities and develops routes into education and training for young people."
Spurs and England star Dele Alli presented Sherabayani with his comic strip and he said: "It's great to be here today to see Sivan and other Kicks participants enjoying their football and making new friends.
"Tottenham Hotspur Foundation have done a great job and the team deserve a lot of credit for the hard work they've put in over the past ten years in making sure people get the opportunity to use pitches and facilities like this one.
"It's fantastic that the programme is still going strong in Tottenham a decade on and long may it continue."
Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore said: "Returning to one of the original Premier League Kicks sites at Ferry Lane is a reminder of just how far the programme has come over the past ten years, and how many young people's lives have been positively impacted."
