Geoff: “If I hadn’t had the mentoring from Nigel this year I probably wouldn’t have finished school.”

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Coaching Week takes place between 3rd – 9th June 2019 and aims to showcase how coaches can play a major part in building stronger, happier and healthier communities. In order to illustrate this we are shining the spotlight on the work of one of Shrewsbury Town in the Community’s coaches, Nigel, who works on their mentoring programme.  

Geoff is a Year 11 pupil at Shrewsbury Academy and at the beginning of the year was identified as being an ideal candidate to benefit from one-to-one support due to his initial lack of engagement, enthusiasm and his disruptive behaviour.

Since September, Nigel has been working with Geoff weekly to discuss Geoff’s barriers to learning and help inspire him.

Geoff tells us: “At the start of the year I was getting into trouble at school so I started working with Nigel to help improve my behaviour to not get as many detentions and phone calls home.

“I do better when I have something to work for and having something to aim for so Nigel has given me goals to work towards and I think I have actually managed to reach them.”  

Since Nigel started mentoring Geoff, his school has noted that he has now taken ownership over his own learning, shown through him taking it upon himself to visit Nigel during lunch and break to update him on his progress and has also began to help out with lunchtime activities for younger year groups and is also volunteering to help coach on our Soccer Schools during half-term.

As a reward for his hard-work and changing attitude towards learning, Geoff was invited to a few Shrewsbury Town home games at the end of the season where he was able to shadow members of the match-day staff, helping to deliver tours of the stadium and with other pre-match activities to show him what working opportunities are available within a football club and give him an idea of where his hard work could end up.

Geoff added: “Coming to the games has given me the idea that I wanted to work within a football Club in some way, doing something similar to what I do when I come in for games now.” 

When Geoff returned to school following the Easter break, he was taken off report for the first time this year, demonstrating the progress he has made and the difference the mentoring has had. He is now preparing to take his GCSE exams.

Geoff’s Mum has also noted the impact that the mentoring scheme has had for Geoff and the progress he has made:

“Geoffrey, the PE department staff and Nigel all seem to share a mutual respect. Without Nigel and the mentoring scheme we don’t believe that Geoffrey would have finished the year without going on permanent early study leave, and for this we are extremely grateful to Nigel and Shrewsbury Town in the Community.”  

Geoff is also very aware of the difference that the mentoring scheme has had on him and now has a more clear idea of his goals moving forward:

“If I hadn’t had the mentoring this year I probably wouldn’t have finished school and would have been in loads of trouble all the time. I think the mentoring has helped me with my behaviour loads. When I finish school I want to join the volunteer academy and carry being involved with the club to help me get to where I want to be.”

#CoachingWeek #GreatCoaching

Britain’s only full-time deaf football coach inspiring the next generation

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Ben Lampert, Sports Coach at Brentford FC Community Sports Trust and England’s Deaf Football Assistant Coach, is helping to break down barriers and inspire the next generation of players.

The 33-year-old who won Gold with Team GB Deaf Football at the Melbourne 2005 Deaflympics, has been working with the Bees’ Trust for nine years and currently oversees the Deaf Coaching programme.

The programme encourages children and adults to get involved with sport and tackle the existing obstacles they face.

Talking about his involvement with the Trust he said:

“I got involved with the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust so that I could break down the barriers I faced as a child and to ensure that sport can be enjoyed by all deaf people.

“Growing up, I had to fit in and adapt to sports sessions – rather than the sessions being adapted to me and my disability.

 “Sometimes, I think there is a misconception that deaf people can’t achieve anything because of their disability.

“If deaf people can achieve great things in sport, we can change this mentality.”

Ben has also been responsible for fostering greater integration amongst deaf and hearing children through the Trust’s NCS programme.

As part of the programme, deaf and hearing youngsters taught Brentford fans signs language at Brentford’s west London derby against QPR back in March.

Ben taught Brentford FC’s Head Coach Thomas Frank sign language and the post-match press conference was translated into sign language for deaf people involved.

Ben said: “It means a lot to me to inspire and coach the younger generation to develop and achieve their goals.

“It is important to me as there are not enough deaf coaches. I want to encourage others to get involved and learn from my experiences and knowledge.”

Although Ben is currently in Crete coaching England’s deaf team for the Deaf Euros, he says his work with hundreds of children, from Brent to Richmond, is his proudest achievement.

Peter Shears, who oversees the Trust’s disability projects, spoke of Ben’s invaluable contribution to the charity. He said:

“When we first started our deaf coaching programme we only had three or four deaf children involved. Now, we engage with more than 180 deaf children and adults each year.

“This is testament to Ben’s influence amongst the deaf community and how he harnesses the power of sport to inspire deaf children and adults.”

#CoachingWeek #GreatCoaching 

 

To view our story book with many more impactful stories like Bens’s, click here.

PNE Coach shares his motivation for Coaching Week

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Coaching Week takes place between 3rd – 9th June 2019 and aims to showcase how coaches can play a major part in building stronger, happier and healthier communities. We’re highlighting the story of one particular coach whose passion towards his trade is making a huge impact on the participants of our community programmes.

Inclusion Coach Jordan Catterall has been with the Preston North End Community and Education Trust just shy of two years, and comes into contact with participants of all abilities.

From nurturing players on our development centres into Academies, to increasing sports participation through Premier League Kicks and disability programmes that the Trust run, Jordan’s job is as varied as it is rewarding as he explains:

“I’ve always played football from a young age and I kind of just fell into coaching. I first started coaching around seven years ago and it was a way for me to stay involved in football.

“I love allowing kids to have fun whilst playing football. The main thing for me is enjoyment and mass participation in the game, whether that be boys, girls or whoever. It’s important to give people the opportunity to play football, to get involved and to not discriminate against ability levels or anything like that.

“The best thing about coaching is seeing that light bulb moment with a player that you’re working with. It might be a case of working with a player over a long period of time and then suddenly seeing it finally click and they get what you’re trying to teach them.

“I love seeing progress in players too; helping them develop those players and helping them to become better people as well as players, because life doesn’t just revolve around just football. It’s about developing the person as well as the player.”

#CoachingWeek #GreatCoaching

“It’s all about your experience and volunteering is key to that, especially as a young coach.”

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Sports clubs and organisations across the country are celebrating Coaching Week, an opportunity to showcase the fantastic work completed by coaches.

Jordan Bond recently joined Reds in the Community (RitC) as a Community Coach, becoming the latest student at the charity to progress into paid work at Oakwell.

Interested in a sports career from an early age, Jordan took the first step in coaching aged 15, putting himself through an FA Level One course.

After finishing school, he began studying at RitC on the Level Three Extended Diploma whilst volunteering at the Charity as well as at other organisations around the Barnsley Borough.

Following the course, Jordan worked and picked up more voluntary coaching hours whilst using his initiative further by completing his FA Level Two.

He returned to Reds in the Community in September 2018 to study on the inaugural year of the Foundation Degree programme, which is run in partnership with the University of South Wales.

His commitment both inside and outside of the classroom has enabled him to take advantage of the plethora of opportunities at Oakwell, as well as being one of 26 students who took part in a two-week coaching experience in Malta earlier this year.

Now a paid Community Coach at Reds in the Community despite having another year left on his Foundation Degree, Jordan gave an insight into his development at Oakwell.

He said: “Being on the degree, it’s enabled me to go to Malta and do coaching out there which was a new experience. The kids can’t speak English so you have got to do a lot of demonstrations. I’ve gone out to primary schools and worked on soccer camps.

“Being involved with the Shadow Scholarship, that’s going to help me develop because I also coach an U15’s team. I’ve developed massively. My confidence has improved. I’ve got more experience and I just want to go as far as I can with coaching and hopefully go abroad next year.”

Education Officer Mark Crossfield has overseen Jordan’s journey from student to Community Coach.

Mark was full of praise for Jordan, who has become the latest youngster to progress from studying at Reds in the Community to working for the Charity.

He said: “Jordan was a perfect student. He applied himself in all units, had a great attitude towards his education and achieved some top grades. Along with all other students, Jordan was given opportunities to get involved in coaching and he took advantage of those opportunities.

“Going to Malta this year, Jordan was one of the senior students and acted as a role model to those that were a little bit younger. Aside from his studying, he’s got himself involved in refereeing and worked with other coaching organisations around Barnsley to further his coaching expertise.

“It’s all about your experience and volunteering is key to that, especially as a young coach. That’s something that Jordan has taken advantage of. As a person, he’s matured. He’s now got that independence, he can lead sessions and can take criticism on board.

“He’s still at the starting point of his journey in terms of becoming an experienced coach but he’s making excellent progress. If he continues doing what he’s doing, he’s going to be really successful as a sports coach as a career.”

Reds in the Community are currently recruiting for two Community Coaches, with the deadline for applications being Friday 7th June.

For more information and to apply, click HERE.

Conrad’s story: From participant, to student, to full-time coach.

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From Community Trust participant, to student, to full-time member of staff, Conrad Britton has been involved with the Bristol City Community Trust for nearly half of his life.

Conrad first got involved with Bristol City Community Trust (BCCT) at the age of ten, through the Trust’s Premier League Kicks programme.

After finishing school, Conrad pursued his passion for football by joining the Community Trust’s post-16 education and futsal programme. Whilst studying there, Conrad frequently volunteered to shadow and assist BCCT coaches on their delivery of various different footballing sessions.

As a youngster Conrad was a shy individual however these coaching opportunities enabled him to build up his confidence.

Conrad’s excellent commitment to both his studies and his volunteering saw him offered a coaching apprenticeship at BCCT which has since become a full-time job as a community coach.

Conrad told the Trust, “As a kid, I was quite a shy individual and I didn’t have much self-confidence, I used to use football as an outlet to express myself.

“I used to absolutely love coming along to the Premier League Kicks sessions that the (Bristol City) Community Trust held as all of the coaches were really welcoming and friendly and it just gave me a good way to get out and have fun.”

“I guess it was these sessions that first gave me the inspiration to pursue a career in football coaching.

“I’m really proud of how far I have come. I now coach football sessions at the same school that I used to go to when I was younger.”

Chief Executive Officer of Bristol City Community Trust, Dan White, commented, “Conrad is an absolute attribute to the Trust and it’s brilliant to see how much progress this young man has made during his time with us at the Community Trust.

“Conrad’s progression also highlights what our education programme is all about, we don’t simply focus on exam results, rather we focus on developing our students all around and providing them with the skills they need to pursue a career in the industry that they love.”

#GreatCoaching #CoachingWeek

“I feel like I have developed so much as a person and a coach from working alongside her.”

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Grace Robinson is a full-time Stepping Up coach at Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation (MFCF).

Stepping Up is a transition project helping young people move from year six into year seven with the support of a mentor who acts as a familiar face between primary and secondary schools.

Grace’s daily routine is to work in her cluster of primary schools, or her chosen secondary school before transitioning into her evening community work. This offers wrap around care to the young people both in and out of school settings.

Within her weekly timetable, Grace also delivers on EFL Trust’s Joy of Moving Programme, delivering the Move and Learn project.

During these lessons, Grace excels at ensuring the lessons are inclusive and ensures all activities are differentiated to ensure all young people involved can learn and develop within a comfortable environment.

In addition to this, Grace also delivers on disability sessions working with young people who have a range of impairments.

Her personality, patience and enthusiastic attitude makes the sessions inspiring for those involved.

Harry who has Cerebral Palsy commented: “Grace’s sessions are so fun, It’s the best part of my week.”

When Grace started working at MFCF she was tasked with delivering a community-based session in one of the most deprived wards in Middlesbrough.

Initially, the session had only five young people attending but after six months, the session has up to 30 young people regularly attending each week.

This is testament to Grace and the innovative approach she has shown making the sessions engaging, promoting through hard to reach audiences and empowering young people to take a lead on activities they want to do.

Lennon who participates in Grace’s community session commented: “I only go to the session to play football and see Grace.”

Over the past year, Grace has also been a role model to one of MFCF’s current apprentices, Paul.

Paul attended Grace’s community sessions every week, three evenings a week.

Throughout the sessions, Grace built up a fantastic rapport with Paul and she soon became a role model to Paul who wanted to follow in Grace’s footsteps and become a coach.

Whilst finishing his final year at school, Grace gave him additional responsibilities at the community sessions such as leading small groups or activities or helping plan and set-up sessions.

Grace encouraged Paul to sign up for MFCF’s National Citizen Service (NCS) programme upon finishing school and developing his skills further over four weeks of the summer which he excelled at and became a very popular young person with all members of staff at MFCF.

Towards the end of 2018, MFCF recruited five new apprentices one of which was then Paul who has now developed from a participant on two programmes, to a volunteer and is now a full-time staff member thanks to the help and guidance of Grace.

Speaking of Grace, Paul stated: “She welcomed me into MFCF, always offers to help me and I feel like I have developed so much as a person and as a coach from working alongside her.”

 

#GreatCoaching #CoachingWeek

A day our NCS Graduates will never forget…

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11 NCS Graduates spent the day rubbing shoulders with England’s First Team footballers at the home of English Football, St George’s Park.  

A day that any football fan would dream of was possible thanks to an invite from David Sheepshanks, NCS Patron and Chairman of the St George’s Park National Football Centre.

The invite was for teens that have completed NCS and a reward for their volunteering which is over 40,000 hours making a positive difference in their local community.

The highlight of the day was watching the England team train ahead of their Nations League semi-finals against Netherlands.

An autograph and photo session followed, and grads took time to chat with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Harry Maguire and Manager, Gareth Southgate.

Charlotte Dunn, who did NCS in 2016 with Sheffield Wednesday said: “It was such a great and a fantastic opportunity – I loved every minute of it!”

Aiden Walker, a graduate of Barnsley said: “It was a brilliant day from having a guided tour to meeting the England players. A fantastic opportunity that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

David Sheepshanks took the group on a behind the scenes of the Football Centre that facilitates 27 England teams. As well, Grads were put through their paces with a training session put on by a coach at St. George’s Park.

The 11 teens involved completed NCS with EFL Trust through their local football Club or youth organisation. After completing the initial programme, participants became NCS graduates and have access to a wide range of opportunities and support to continue making a mark in their communities.

Click here see how this group supported a homeless charity in Hull.

Brewers raise Ramadan awareness at the Pirelli Stadium

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A PARTNERSHIP between Burton Albion and the Makki Masjid Trust was celebrated at the Pirelli Stadium last week following recent months of working closely together.The evening, which featured a culmination of workshops and activities at the home of the Brewers, was lead by staff from Burton Albion Community Trust and Makki Masjid Trust. The Makki Masjid Trust aims to promote any charitable purpose for the benefit of persons from ethnic minorities in Burton on Trent and surrounding areas. In particular by the relief of poverty, promotion of health, provision and advancement of education and the provision of facilities for recreation.

The night saw the first ever official Iftar (break of the fast) that the Pirelli Stadium has hosted, as well as a Ramadan Tournament which over 65 players participated in.

John Widdowson, Community Operations Manager, said: “The meal Saturday had a real community feel about it and was supported by families from Makki Masjid Trust, Crescent Learning Centre, Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire FA and Burton Albion.

“A special thanks must also go to the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) and Premier League Charitable Fund whose support has helped us bring communities together through the power of sport.”

For any more information please get in touch with BACT on 01283 246207 or by email [email protected] 

EFL Kids Cup finals round-up

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Report: 2019 EFL Kids Cup League Two Grand Final

Oldham Athletic, represented by South Failsworth, won this year’s EFL Kids Cup League Two Grand Final following a fantastic game at Wembley Stadium.

Two first-half goals from the Latics, one from Stephen Maylett and the other from Finlay Boardman, saw them beat Broadclyst Community Primary, who were representing Exeter City, under the iconic arch.

Speaking after the game, teacher and coach Lee Lawton was naturally extremely proud, saying: “I’m so proud of the lads, they’re a credit to themselves and their school. There’s some unbelievable talent in the team, as we saw out there.

“There’s no better place to do it than Wembley, and this will live with them forever. It’s a fantastic competition with a prize of playing on the Wembley pitch, and that’s something that’s hard to put into words. 

“It’s been fantastic and Wembley has certainly treated us well. We can’t thank the EFL enough.”

Goalkeeper Zack Tobin added: “It felt amazing, the best feeling ever. Without the EFL we wouldn’t be here, it’s great to play at Wembley and we want to do it again next year! It was a team effort and it’s a dream come true to win.”

Report: 2019 EFL Kids Cup League One Grand Final

Wycombe Wanderers, represented by The Gerrards Cross C.E. School, won this year’s EFL Kids Cup League One Grand Final following a tight affair at Wembley Stadium.

Both sides battled hard throughout the first period of the game, but neither side could make the breakthrough, the Chairboys came the closest to opening the scoring through Calum Daley, but a fantastic save from Walsall’s William Tomlinson kept the game level.

Into the second-half and with the game looking like it was heading to the lottery of a penalty shootout, up stepped Wycombe captain Alex Thomas to fire his side into the lead, a direct free-kick from 20-yards finding the top corner of the Wallsall goal.

Captain and match-winner Alex Thomas said: “It was such a surreal moment for me, scoring the winning goal at Wembley really doesn’t get much better than that, I am speechless and it made it better for me that I did it with all my friends.

“It is such a crazy experience, I have been to watch some England games here with my dad and never expected to play here, we have been a really successful team over the years, but this will be the last time we play together and we are so happy to have won the game.”

Report: 2019 EFL Kids Cup Championship Grand Final

Blackburn Rovers, represented by Whitefield Primary School, won this year’s EFL Kids Cup Championship Final following an incredibly tight affair against Brentford FC at Wembley Stadium.

Both sides battled hard for the win in the Championship Kids Cup Final, and the game was just seconds away from penalties before Rovers captain Daniel Armer scored a last-gasp winner.

Speaking after the game, teacher and coach Simon Keogh said: “It was one of the most stressful 15 minutes of my life, but how incredible. I don’t think it’ll really hit them that they’ve done this at Wembley until we’re on our way home. 
“I’ve never seen a goalkeeping performance like that from the Brentford goalkeeper at such a young age. The Kids Cup is just incredible for opportunities like this. Today has been one of the best day’s of my life, let alone the kids. They’ve had an amazing day.”
Captain and match-winner Daniel Armer added: “I remember getting past a couple of players and I just didn’t know what to think, when we scored we all just went mad. It was unreal to play on the pitch at Wembley when you think of some of the players that have played here. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to do this.”

Trevor: “I’ve lost 6 stone in 2 years with Stevenage FC Foundation and it’s physically and mentally changed my life.”

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Two years ago, Trevor Prowse, who was overweight and suffered from severe anxiety, never thought he would be able to do everyday activities like playing with his grandchild or talking to a stranger on the phone.

It wasn’t until he was referred by his GP to meet Healthy Lifestyles Officer Hannah Marsh at Stevenage FC Foundation, when his life turned around.

Hannah said: “When I first met Trevor he told me our meeting was the first time he had left his house in a week due to his anxiety being that severe and he was very unsure about taking part in any exercise.

“He agreed to try our ‘Introduction to Exercise’ class and despite his apprehensions, he took part, thoroughly enjoyed himself and hasn’t looked back since.”

Stevenage FC Foundation’s Introduction to Exercises classes are designed for people with long-term medical conditions (both physical and mental) and are mainly circuit based.

The sessions also incorporate other activities like Soccercise, Pilates and Boxercise and have a strong element of social support with the group regularly opening up and sharing their experiences and struggles with their health.

In the two years that Trevor has been involved, he has lost a remarkable 6 stone and his blood pressure has dropped, to the point where he no longer has to take medication.

Talking about his experiences, he said: “I started suffering with severe anxiety from my early 20’s, so really suffered for a good 30 years.

“It effects your whole life and makes you so self-conscious, to the point where you can’t even leave the house or do very much.

“Taking that huge step to take part in the sessions at Stevenage FC Foundation was such a life-changing decision for me.

“It’s made a huge difference, I’m doing things now I never dreamed of – last weekend I even went sky diving!

“It’s also the little things that make all the difference. I recently became a Grandad for the first time, and when I was overweight I wouldn’t have been able to do very much.

“But now, I can be active and spend time with him and it means so much.

“Anxiety has been a part of my life for so long – but those simple things are really what make all the difference.”

The 58 year-old credits the sessions for not only helping him physically, but mentally, as he no longer dreads meeting new people and looks forward to classes each week.

 He added: “Stevenage FC Foundation, the course they run and Hannah are all superb and I would recommend it to absolutely anyone.

“There are people there of all ages, all levels of fitness and everybody is there for their own reason – I consider the people in my class as not just friends, but even family now.

“The sessions have allowed me to realise that there are people who will help you if you are struggling, you just have to open up.

“Something may seem daunting at first but once you get over that barrier in yourself and try it, it may just be one of the best things you ever do.”

#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek