JP Mateta visits local School to talk goals, Palace and the 2024 Olympics
In form Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta joined an assembly and Team Mates session at a local Croydon school.
JP joined hundreds of students for their afternoon assembly, answering a variety of questions about his career, favourite goals, and what it was like to represent France in the 2024 Olympics.
After the assembly, the Palace forward joined a smaller group of students in a Team Mates session, which is a programme we have been successfully running in schools in south London for years.
Team Mates, which is funded by the Premier League and Professional Footballers Association, brings together small groups of eight students to learn through games, using social skills development, as an effective tool to build up their protective barrier against poor mental health.
A few years ago, we met Christian at another school, where the programme helped him turn things around and get prepared for life in secondary school. You can watch his story here.
Thank you to the school and Jean-Philippe Mateta for a fantastique afternoon!
For more information on our work in primary schools, head here
If you are a school in Croydon, Bromley, Sutton or Lambeth and want to work with us, please contact James.