The Barnet U16 Kickz project team beat Fulham 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in the final of a national tournament for young people.

A coach load of 50 supporters supported the side - the only League 2 side represented in the tournament - and were delighted when Barnet's highly promising prospect Mauro Vihete won the Player of the Tournament.

The Barnet youngsters wore a Barnet strip loaned by the first team and Janet Matthewson, from Barnet Football in the Community, said of the players and their coaches: "I felt extremely proud of the lot of them".

What made the victory even more satisfying is that the event saw young people from towns and communities around the country unite behind the Kickz anti-knife campaign.

Thousands of participants from challenging communities competed in regional qualifiers for the chance to play at Stamford Bridge and Pride Park, Derby, for other age groups.

The programme, backed by the Football Foundation, the Premier League, the Met Police and other forces has raised awareness of the campaign through the 137 teams competing.

Barnet were represented by Abdul Alkhaldi, Willian Da Silva, Mohammed Hassan, Abu Kato, Connor Maguire, Stephen Mills, Shabir Mohammed, Amin Nourosi and Mauro Vilhete.

Barnet drew 1-1 with Sunderland, lost 2-0 to Charlton, beat Arsenal 3-0, drew 0-0 with Oldham and beat Manchester City 2-1. They beat Blackburn 2-0 in the semi-final.

A magnificent achievement. Barnet FC chairman Tony Kleanthous has sent a message of congratulations to all concerned with the Barnet Kickz project.

'It Doesn't Have to Happen' was conceived by the Home Office and young people have contributed significantly to its development. It aims to give young people an understanding of the consequences of knife crime, encouraging them to 'say no to knives' and have a positive influence on each other. Peer-to-peer messaging is an important part of the campaign, which has a dedicated website on Bebo: www.itdoesnthavetohappen.co.uk

Barnet and Sunderland opened the tournament as they were led onto the pitch by a very brave young lady, 8 year old Leanne, cousin to both Mauro Vilhete and William Da Silva of the Barnet team. Leanne is battling bone cancer in her leg, and despite the seriousness of her condition, she led the teams onto the Chelsea pitch with a smile beaming for all to see.The Sunderland team presented Leanne with a wristband in memory of Cane Scales a 15 year old Kickz participant from Sunderland who lost his life in a road accident back in February this year, a touching and poignant moment for everyone.Leanne and her mum were taken on a behind the scenes tour by our counterparts at Chelsea, our thanks to all concerned for making this event even more special for Leanne, Mauro, William and their family, our very best wishes go out to Leanne at this time.

Kickz operates at Underhill Junior School, 3 nights a week, 48 weeks a year, (our thanks to the staff at Underhill for their support) offering positive activities for local youth.

The project allows professional football clubs to work together giving participants opportunities like today's tournament. It also allows clubs to be a vehicle to support and deliver important social messages or campaigns within their communities such as the 'It Doesn't Have to Happen' anti-knife campaign.The message from the tournament is clear - Enough is enough - Knives take Lives, - a knife does not protect you, it is not a shield you can hide behind, so chose life - lose the knife!A message reinforced this week as we remember the sad death of Oliver Kingonzilla as his killer was jailed this week for his murder, another cruel death on our streets brought about by knife crime.

Barnet's community scheme operates as a financially independent company with charitable objectives, and because of that the decision to take the next step and apply to convert to a charity is underway. The scheme is steadily growing year on year thanks to the commitment of staff and volunteers and the support of Barnet FC itself.

The impact of the tournaments has been excellent with thousands of young people taking part, pledging support to the campaign and taking part in hard hitting 'Be Safe' workshops on the dangers of carrying weapons.

After the events, the participants will take the campaign message back to their communities. Local authorities and police will also be encouraged to use the campaign as a springboard for championing local anti-knife initiatives.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:

"We all have a role to play in stopping the minority of young people carrying knives and getting weapons off our streets. That is why I am delighted to be working with the Football Foundation's Kickz projects to give young people the opportunity to feel confident, make the right choices and say no to knives.

"The goal is not just catching the criminals - it is also about educating young people about the dangers of carrying knives and providing them with positive role models and activities to prevent them becoming involved in knife crime. That is exactly what Kickz is working to achieve in partnership through our "It Doesn't Have to Happen" campaign to continue spreading the message that carrying a knife is not acceptable."

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Rod Jarman of the Metropolitan Police said:

"I am delighted that the Metropolitan Police are engaging with more than 10,000 young Londoners three times per week, through the successful partnerships that have been established between Kickz and our Safer Neighbourhood teams.

"The majority of young people are law abiding, however Kickz provides an opportunity for all it's participants to engage in structured activities and participate in educational workshops on issues such as gun and knife crime.This positive campaign informs young people of the dangers of carrying weapons, encouraging them and their peers to make a different choice. We will continue, through Kickz and other programmes, to protect our young people from violence and provide them with opportunities to achieve a more positive future".

Football Foundation CEO Paul Thorogood said:

"The positive partnership between the Kickz programme and the 'It Doesn't Have to Happen' campaign emerged from discussions between the Premier League, the Home Office and the Football Foundation.

"Football brands and clubs are incredibly persuasive vehicles for connecting with young people.This has been clearly demonstrated by the overwhelming success of Kickz, which has engaged over 24,500 young people and recently picked up a prestigious Sport Industry Award for Best Community Programme.

"The England Team signed up to support the anti-knife crime message, and the Kickz network has further spread the word among challenging communities. The idea is to harness the undoubted power of football to help young people make the right choices and champion this positive message within and beyond their local communities."