Everton Football Club has become the first Premier League club in the country to be granted government permission to open a Free School.
The government-funded Everton in the Community Free School will be run by the club's charity, Everton In The Community (E.I.T.C.)
The Free school will open in September 2012 and will provide education and sports tuition for 120 students, aged 14 to 19 years.
Working with existing education providers in the city the school, is expected to increase its intake by 200 the following year.
The club stress the school is not just for Evertonians and it will offer a range of learning styles and activities to prepare pupils for the world of work.
The school will use the power of sport to engage pupils, who may thrive better in a non-traditional schooling environment, as well as their wider families.
It is another outstanding achievement for E.I.TC. head honcho, Denise Barrett-Baxendale, who has seen the charity grow and grow.
Denise said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have been given the go ahead to open the Everton in the Community Free School.
"The Free School will provide a high quality and inspirational educational experience for the young people of Liverpool for whom school is not always the best place for them to learn. Everton in the Community will work in partnership with the local authority and local secondary schools to create learning and development opportunities for those young people who are most at risk of exclusion.
"With the full support of the Local Education Authority, we wish to engage students with a new innovative approach to educational provision backed by the brand and values of Everton Football Club, which are already firmly embedded within our community scheme."
Everton FC manager David Moyes said: "This will represent a fantastic opportunity for Everton Football Club and its charitable arm, Everton in the Community, to further extend its reach into a wide variety of communities across the Merseyside region.
"It will, unquestionably, provide a real chance for some less-privileged, less-fortunate children to embrace and benefit from a high-quality education
Everton FC chief executive Robert Elstone said: "We have played a huge part in the Liverpool and Merseyside community for over 100 years and this latest move demonstrates our desire to continue to make a difference where it counts."
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