Former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein today unveiled an ambitious new initiative using the power of football to better prepare people for release from prison.

The Twinning Project aims to twin all professional clubs with prisons to tackle the major problem of reoffending after sentences are served. Currently 63.8 per cent of adults reoffend, while 41.6 per cent of juveniles do so within 12 months of release.

The number one cause of reoffending is a lack of employment opportunities on leaving prison. Only 17 per cent of offenders enter the workplace on release.

The initiative, launched at Wembley by its founder Dein and Arsenal legend Ian Wright, will see clubs offer coaching and refereeing courses as well as other employability skills to prisoners to ensure that when they leave they are better able to find paid work.

Dein, who regularly gives motivational speeches at prisons, said: “Football can be a powerful force for good, and the Twinning Project will use this to help people change their lives when they are released from prison.

“There is already great work being done in prisons across the country aimed at reducing reoffending and this initiative will build on that using football.”

The Twinning Project has received the backing of all of the UK’s leading football bodies, including the FA, EFL and Premier League. The government has also offered its support.

Prisons minister Rory Stewart said: “We should embrace sport as a way of giving offenders worthwhile skills and qualifications and I am confident this project will have a real impact on the lives of offenders - and ultimately help to reduce reoffending.”

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore hailed the Twinning Project’s founder. “David Dein has taken a huge personal interest in this work and has visited more than 100 of the country’s prisons to talk about the Premier League and his own experiences in the game,” he said.

“I applaud him for his commitment and for bringing clubs and the Ministry of Justice together in this important area.”

The Twining Project hopes to have signed up 20 Premier League and EFL clubs by the end of the year.