Stormzy is changing the lives of talented youngsters in his hometown, launching a new state-of-the-art multi-purpose facility, Merky FC HQ.
The South London rap icon partnered with Adidas to tackle the shortage of safe spaces for local youth.
On Thursday (May 2) Stormzy unveiled his new venture on Instagram with a tour behind the scenes at the high-tech installation. The facility is equipped with four soccer pitches, with “professional” changing rooms. Young musicians can hone their skills in the cutting-edge studios and gamers can chill in the EA Sports gaming hub.
Merky FC is also equipped with innovative spaces for content creators, podcasters, producers, and dancers. There is even a terrace for a DJ booth or simply hanging out on sunny days.
Stormzy revealed Merky FC HQ has been a three-year-long labor of love.
“Don’t wanna get too emotional but it means the world to be able to build something in my hometown that can serve the community and be a place for opportunity, education, fun and of course football,” he captioned the video.
Merky FC opens Friday, May 3 and potential visitors can visit the site for more information.
This isn’t Stormzy’s first foray into soccer, after recently purchasing his hometown club, AFC Croydon Athletic. He also previously partnered with Adidas on an initiative to tackle racial inequality in the sport.
Additionally, Stormzy continues to give back to Black students through his scholarship program. Since its launch in 2018, the Stormzy Scholarship has financially supported 32 UK Black students attending Britain’s prestigious Cambridge University.