Search is on to find North East's enterprising youngsters

Foundation of Light will host schools from across the North East this week as the search to find Sunderland AFC's Premier League Enterprise Challenge representatives begins. More than 30 Premier League and English Football League clubs will take part in this year’s competition which encourages pupils from school year’s 9 and 10 to come up with ideas related to a football business task set by Premier League Executive Chairman, Richard Scudamore. The Foundation will hold the SAFC club heats this Wednesday at the Stadium of Light, which will see teams from some of the charity's partner schools tasked with finding ways of diversifying the Black Cats' fan base. Earlier this year, students from Shotton Hall Academy narrowly missed out at the national finals in London after beating the likes of Leicester City, Stoke, Swansea and Watford in the Play-Offs. The Premier League Enterprise Challenge, which uses business models of professional football clubs to engage young people in year-long educational activity, began in 2009 in partnership with Sport Relief and has seen over 11,000, thirteen-to-fifteen-year-old's take part in educational sessions with clubs.