HOW FOOTBALL IS BUILDING SELF ESTEEM AND MAKING EVERY PLAYER COUNT

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Over 13,000 children, young people and adults with disabilities have been introduced to football through our Every Player Counts programme.

Today for International Day of Persons with Disabilities we be looking at some of the stories behind that statistics. The programme, which is co-funded by EFL Trust and Wembley National Stadium Trust (WNST), has now been running for 5 years and offers the benefits of playing football to people with a wide range of disabilities.

The stories we will showcase today are from people of differing ages and cover a range of disabilities. However, the common thread running each personal journey is of a struggle to find a way to fit in and how playing football has allowed each individual to build their confidence, self-esteem and form friendships. This in turn, transferred into their school, work and personal life, has opened up a range of opportunities.

28 EFL Club Community Organisations run Every Player Counts programmes that are tailored to the specific needs of their local community, covering a wide range of disability programmes including, but not restricted to, powerchair football, football for visual impairment, and learning difficulties. Although individual programmes will differ from club to club, the emphasis is always on increasing participation, improving health and championing the social benefits of taking part in football.

All this is possible thanks to Wembley National Stadium Trust who in 2016 made a £1.1m, donation over three year – what was their largest investment and their first England-wide grant. A further £500,000 in 2019, plus funding from the EFL Trust to include our Welsh league clubs, has enabled our CCOs, so far, to change the lives of 13,000 people.

Eleanor scores a full-time role with Reading FC Community Trust through the Kickstart Programme

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Gaining a footstep into the professional workplace has been a process that has brought extraneous difficulties for young people, especially during the pandemic. For Eleanor Povey, this was no exception, however, after an opportunity arose with Reading FC Community Trust on a Kickstart placement, Eleanor made a great impression and  has now secured full-time employment there.

After graduating from University, Eleanor found herself struggling with the prospect of long-term unemployment, as she was unable to find a job in an environment, she was comfortable with, during the initial stages of the  pandemic last year. Eleanor’s luck changed upon stumbling across an opportunity to work as an Admin Officer at Reading FC Community Trust within the Kickstart programme.

The Kickstart programme is an initiative to help bring young people claiming universal credit, into the workplace. In recent times due to the pandemic, this has been more necessary than ever to the lives of many young people.

As we approach the last month of 2021, the EFL Trust are delighted that over 477 Kickstarter’s have been employed across our EFL Clubs and Community Organisations, with over 196 vacancies currently available. We are even prouder that over 90% of those young people completing an EFL Trust placement have gone into a positive employability destination such as a new full-time role or apprenticeship.

Eleanor Povey is currently at Reading FC Community Trust and is a shining example of why this programme is perfect in an industry with so many exciting opportunities. Starting her role initially as an Admin Officer, Eleanor gained exposure to a multitude of different areas, enabling her to attain different skills and develop her expertise.

Eleanor talked about her placement at Reading FC Community Trust:

“During my role I supported the HR department and Administration team, working on a number of different activities such as: holiday entitlement, sick leave, contracts and staff training. I was also able to be involved in meetings with colleagues from the EFL Trust.”

“I thoroughly enjoy working for Reading FC Community Trust. The generosity and willingness of staff to share information and provide training has enabled me to comfortably take on more responsibility.”

After making an overwhelmingly positive impact, Eleanor was given a full-time role as Governance Lead at Reading FC Community Trust. Eleanor discussed her feelings about securing a full-time role:

“I feel very lucky to have secured full-time employment at Reading FC Community Trust. All the staff are incredibly generous with their time and expertise, creating an environment for staff to thrive.”

“I am very grateful for the support and kindness they have shown me. Because of them I feel confident in my abilities to take on more responsibility and to continually develop my professional skillset.”

Eleanor thanked her Kickstart placement for her experiences at Reading FC Community Trust:

“Kickstart has helped me to gain confidence in my abilities through training, support and the opportunity to develop through new experiences. It provides you with an opportunity to increase your professional development by allowing you to undertake training in a chosen area with the support of experienced members of that field.”

With full-time employment secured, Eleanor now has more clarity about her professional career and is on the right path to success.

Click here to find out more about how Kickstart is impacting young people’s lives.

Blackpool Manager praises Community Trust
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This week, Blackpool FC Community Trust were extremely proud to be named ‘Community Club of the Season’ at the Northwest Football Awards, facing tough opposition from other Northwest EFL Clubs.

Blackpool FC’s Manager, Neil Critchley, added to the success of the evening and was awarded ‘Manager of the Season’ after finishing his first full year at the club. Critchley was up against the likes of Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Bolton Wanderers, Ian Evatt.

Speaking about the awards, Neil Critchley made it clear what he thought about the Community Award:

“I think that’s a bigger award if I’m honest…I think it’s more important. The individual awards, they’re nice but there could be 50 people standing up there with me. It’s not about me, it’s about the club. The work Ash (Hackett) does with the Community Trust is unbelievable. I’ve never seen a team like that at a club before. That was really, really deserved because the club is about everyone in the area, it’s not just about what happens on the pitch. It’s more important the club plays a big part in what happens in the community off the pitch, because the club is there for the people of this town and the work, they do is incredible, so big congratulations to the team.”

Ashley Hackett, CEO at Blackpool FC Community Trust said,

“I am so proud of the impact that we have consistently provided to our community and none of it would have been possible without the hard work and commitment of our remarkable staff. With the support of Blackpool Football Club, we have been able to achieve great results regardless of the effects of the pandemic. Many of the areas we have developed will continue to be implemented in the future as it allows us to engage with and help more people in the most deprived town in England.”

Inspirational young group from Brathay Trust raise nearly £1,000 with NCS for the National Autistic Society

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A young group from Brathay Trust which compromised of 13 members, raised around £1,000 for the National Autistic Society, as they chose to spread awareness about Autism for their summer social action project with NCS. Read more

Dylan Cook: Why I joined the EFL Trust Youth Forum

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My name’s Dylan, I’m 21 years old from Wolverhampton and currently a third-year student studying Football Coaching, Development and Administration at the University of South Wales. I’m the newest member of the EFL Trust Youth Forum.

Read more

Young people show the ‘Power of Youth’ whilst on NCS

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The NCS programme was a roaring success throughout the summer of 2021; with 9,198 young people, aged 16-17, engaging in the delivery of 350 social action programmes, with the collective ambition to improve key social issues and improve the standard of living in their local communities.

Hours volunteered over the course of the summer months amassed 270,000, raising over £60,000 by NCS participants across the EFL Trust network. Following the restrictions posed during the lockdown of 2020, the young people eagerly embraced the opportunity to be hands on in their approach to rejuvenate local areas.

This was particularly evident in Shrewsbury, where an NCS cohort renovated a rundown underpass en route to New Meadow, so fans can enjoy a colourful, Shrewsbury Town themed commute on matchdays. A group from Middlesbrough also made efforts to create a sensory area on a community site aimed for those with learning difficulties, mental health issues and sensory issues to help them relax. A group from North Yorkshire embarked on an impressive 7 social action projects re-vamping a youth-activity space at the YMCA, creating a garden area in their school, making care packages for local care home residents, fundraising for Candlelighters, Westway Open Arms community hub and fundraising for their school.

“This programme has been valuable to me; I have worked with people I would never normally have worked with. My confidence and self-worth has really grown and I feel more independent.” said Megan, 16.

Another key cause that was particularly important to those partaking in the NCS programme over the summer was educating and supporting mental health needs. 13 young people on NCS with Rotherham United Community Sports Trust set out to raise awareness on suicide prevention. In addition to this, a group from Harrogate helped raise funds for Mind, their local mental health charity; whilst also hosting a selection of activities and workshops to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of young people.

“We decided we wanted our Social Action Project to help raise awareness of Mental Health and Wellbeing. We decided to run sports sessions with the younger year groups, alongside mental health workshops; to show them the positive impact of exercise on Mental Health.” Explained Alex, a member of the group.

NCS has given thousands of young people the confidence and self-belief to make the next steps in life – be that higher education or employment prospects – all whilst bolstering their interpersonal and people skills. A great example of this Ethan Bryson, who  took part in the NCS summer programme with Hartlepool United Community Sports Foundation. Living with autism since the age of 4, leaving high school during the global pandemic posed a challenge to Ethan, but his experiences of NCS which helped him meet new people and learn new skills prior to his transition to college.

Another illustration of the benefit that the NCS programme can have can be found in Bradley from Burton. Also living with autism, Bradley’s family had reservations about Bradley’s involvement in NCS due to its full-on nature both physically and socially. But these reservations were soon dropped once they saw the positive impact the experiences had on Bradley. They said:

“The skills he has learnt from just those 2 weeks on NCS has given him so much confidence.” said a member of Bradley’s family. “Thank you so much to everyone for giving Bradley the opportunity to show him he has the ability to do anything he wants.”

This week, young people are being celebrate through #iwillweek recognising the power of youth and their capability when given a voice and a platform to do so, just like 9,198 young people that took part in NCS this summer.

Shamza’s Story: From moving to a new country not knowing the language, to receiving praise from the Prime Minister for leading positive Social Action within Bradford

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For any young teenager, entering a new country and having to integrate into a new culture, as well as learning a new language can be an unnerving process. This was no different for Shamza, 18, who initially felt uncomfortable after leaving Italy. Fast forward 3 years and Shamza received recognition from the Prime Minister for her work in the community as she continues to work hard to make positive change.

Upon arrival from Italy 3 years ago, Shamza struggled with her confidence and ability to make friends. Shamza was unable to speak English and was deprived of opportunities to engage within her community, as she grew up in a small, low populated town within Northern Italy.

Therefore, upon moving into Bradford, Shamza took it upon herself to join NCS through Bradford City Community Foundation, a type of opportunity Shamza would have dreamt of having in Italy. From the onset, NCS helped Shamza to develop her confidence, social skills and ability to speak the English language, she was now able to get her voice heard.

Shamza talked to us about the skills she learnt and her experience with initially starting in NCS:

“I decided to do NCS because I wanted to meet new people and make friends, I wasn’t very outgoing and felt like maybe this was my chance to have fun and improve my skills.”

“NCS made a huge difference on me, it changed me as a person, made me realise that I’m worth it and that I can make friends and be myself. It gave me many skills such as public speaking, CPR training and many others. I was able to overcome my fears by doing new challenges such as rock-climbing and up-sailing to overcome my fear of heights.”

As part of NCS in Summer 2020, Shamza collaborated with a group to complete a social action project that would benefit her community. The group decided to create an inspiring mural in Bradford, to help celebrate the diversity within Bradford and also to celebrate the work done by key workers during the pandemic.

Shamza said:

We were all very proud of our mural because we know that it has made an impact not only on the people of Bradford, but also on those who see Bradford as a non-welcoming city with dangerous people.”

“It not only changed the perspective of those who live in Bradford, but also those who will see our mural and will be able to have a peek into Bradford through its people’s eyes, they will see our diverse community.”

“It was our way of thanking all those who have been working through COVID, our bus drivers, delivery drivers, nurses, doctors, parents, teachers and every single person that put their life at risk to provide for the community.”

The work done by Shamza and her group in the community of Bradford did not go unrecognised, as she was invited down to Number 10 Downing Street, to join Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a special “Thank You Day” BBQ on Sunday the 4th of July. Shamza was invited, along with other young people from across the country, for their work in supporting their local communities during the pandemic.

Reflecting on her evening at Downing Street and being thanked by the Prime Minister, Shamza said:

“It was amazing, I still can’t believe that it really happened! I spoke with Levi Roots, Sajid Javid and the Prime Minister about the social action project I did with my team in Bradford. The Prime Minster was really encouraging telling us to keep doing good and to be the changemakers this country needs!”

“It was really overwhelming to be part of the first ‘National Thank You Day’ and I’m so grateful to be given this opportunity.”

Despite achieving the pinnacle of community work, Shamza has not grown complacent as she is driven to deliver more social action within communities through joining the Peer Action Collective (PAC) programme, with Bradford City Community Foundation.

The PAC involves 120 peer researchers (aged 16-25), who design their own research questions and work with around 6,500 other young people (aged 10–20). The aim is to find out about young people’s experiences of violence and their views on how they can get involved in making their communities better places to live in.

The EFL Trust is working alongside Bradford City Community Foundation and Sheffield Wednesday Community Programme, to give young people in Bradford and Sheffield a voice to make positive change.

Shamza spoke to us about her role as a Peer Researcher:

“Having witnessed youth crime first-hand and seen the effects of the pandemic on my friends, I’m so excited to be part of this project, which will support over 1,500 young people and help me help my generation to heal and thrive.”

“Being a peer researcher means I can find out more about young people’s experiences in my area and then take action to improve their lives. Being a PAC peer researcher appeals to me as a way of learning more about the causes of crime as well as how to prevent it and change teens’ minds. Obviously, if we can’t change our generation now, these problems are going to be our future.”

As part of PAC, Shamza along with other PAC members were involved in anti-bullying initiatives to help high school students. Shamza and her group created fun games for the students to participate in, which all had the goal of raising awareness on bullying and hearing the voices of students who have been affected bullying from all perspectives.

Throughout the community work conducted, Shamza has continued her passion to impact as many individuals as possible within the community. Shamza now wants to further this passion as she is now set to join the Police Force, to continue helping people.

Shamza discussed her motives behind applying to the Police Force:

“I could have gone to university as my parents encouraged, however because of my work done in the community and my time on NCS, I am driven to helping people and that’s what motived me to getting involved in Public Services. NCS have been a big motivator for me wanting to help people.”

Making the world aware of her journey, Shamza was recently centre stage at the 2022 EFL Trust National Conference, where she was invited to talk to over 100 audience members, displaying truly how far she has come.

 

With years of inspiring social action and gaining recognition from the top, it’s fair to say Shamza has transformed communities, individuals and herself in comparison to where she was 3 years ago and where she is now.

NCS Graduate Connor Burleigh sets on making more of an impact as an official #iwill Ambassador and EFL Trust Youth Forum Member

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Connor, who is an EFL Trust NCS Graduate, initially took part in NCS in the Summer of 2018 with Club Doncaster Foundation. Since then, Connor has been selected as a National #iwill Ambassador, as he wants to continue in his passion for making positive differences with communities and empower more young people to volunteer.

Since his time on NCS, Connor has continued to make differences in the local community. Connor joined the Changemaker initiative, where he is a voice for young people in Yorkshire and Humber. Outside of NCS, Connor has also been helping the community through his involvement within Doncaster’s Youth Council. Connor’s magnificent work has been well documented, as he was awarded with the Princess Diana Award for his work on anti-bullying in schools.

Since a young age, Connor has suffered with Autism, which affected his ability in social situations, specifically during his time at Primary school and early secondary school. However, since engaging in voluntary work through his school and during his time on NCS, Connor’s life has been transformed.

From a nervous speaker who was uncomfortable during the Youth Council meetings, to giving talks in classrooms full of students in schools. Connor’s work in the community, in addition to his own skills and confidence have gone from strength to strength.

After positively engaging in social action with his own communities, Connor has been recognised nationally and has been given the incredible responsibility of being an official #iwill Ambassador. Now, as an ambassador, Connor is on the path to encouraging other young people like himself, to generate positive social action within their communities.

The #iwill campaign was launched in 2013, with the motive of empowering and supporting young people in their effort to making change within their communities. As we celebrate the Power of Youth this week through #iwillweek,  Connor will be front and centre representing young people.

We caught up with Connor, as he discussed his experiences as an #iwill Ambassador:

“During my time as a #iwill ambassador, I have attended a number of different events representing the #iwill campaign, including the People’s Powerhouse conference in 2019 and speaking at a panel of how social action helps develop character education at the Westminster Educational forum. I have been honoured to have been given the opportunity to promote social action to more young people across the country through this role.”

“Youth social action is important not only because it allows for young people to give back to their local communities, but it also allows for them to develop a variety of different skills along with meeting people from all walks of life that you might not have met otherwise. 

“My personal favourite part of it is meeting other #iwill ambassadors as it is always great to see what other young people are doing as well as being an inspiring and motivational experience.”

So what is next for Connor? Connor is set to continue expanding his already well recognised work within communities as an #iwill ambassador. Additionally, Connor has also gone onto studying International Relations at the newly crowned top ranked university in the UK, the University of St Andrews. With an exciting career path paved out, and after accumulating an incredible CV, there is just no stopping Connor.

Click here to find out more about Connor’s story.

To see more inspirational young people participate in social action such as Connor, view #iwillweek on Instagram and Twitter and spread the movement!

Blackburn Rovers and FIT FANS has given Scott a second chance at life

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FIT ROVERS gave Scott a new positive outlook on his future after a difficult period of mental health issues and substance abuse.

Scott enrolled in the FIT FANS initiative after having to start his life over again at the age of 40 due to drug and alcohol dependency.

Prior to the programme, Scott was unemployed, unable to see his son, and unsure in what direction his life was going to continue but one thing was certain for him and that was that change was needed.

Average weight loss statistics for the FIT FANS programme are impressive and exceed those of many other programmes. On average women lose well over 3kg and men over 5.5kg by the end of the 12 weeks. We also have evidence that lifestyle change and weight loss is sustained over the following 12 months. More than 90% of men and 85% of women lose weight during the programme with many losing a clinically significant amount.  Our data shows FIT FANS helps people to increase physical activity, and reduce sedentary time, leading to weight loss, a significant reduction in blood pressure and improvement in self-reported mental wellbeing measures.

The course’s practical and educational benefits were at the forefront of Scott’s progress in his physical and mental well-being where he learned and implemented a balanced lifestyle regime whilst adapting methods to ensure he was able to manage his mental health. However, the biggest impact on Scott was his ability to meet a whole new group of people without fear of judgment.

He said: “I had lost everything, you never judged or discriminated against me and gave me a chance to come on the course which I’m very grateful for because FIT FANS has given me so much.”

As a result, he was more motivated and positive than ever as his whole lifestyle and well-being were focused on positive environments. On the back of this development, Scott was successfully offered a job as a Community Sports Coach at Blackburn Rovers Community Trust where he hopes to create an impact on younger generations.

He explained: “No words can describe what it means to work for the club I’ve grown up supporting and to try and make a difference to children and young people in the community to hopefully help them not take the path I, unfortunately, fell down.”

Scott’s mental health has, in his own words has ‘improved so much’ and his journey to the position he finds himself in today started at Blackburn Rovers Community Trust.

The life Scott once lived is a thing of the past as he is due to begin a whole new, more positive chapter in his journey with his son back in his life and aims of becoming a primary school teacher, Scott has enrolled on to a university course.

Find out more about FIT FANS

Maddi hits the back of the net after securing full-time employment with AFC Wimbledon Foundation through Kickstart

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Maddi Sweetman, 22, found it hard to secure employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in which she battled with her mental health after losing her job when the pandemic struck. However, Maddi has been able to overcome mental health problems, and through the Kickstart scheme, she has been able to land a full-time role at AFC Wimbledon Foundation.

Maddi struggled to find work opportunities and found herself battling mental health problems. Maddi was supported by work coaches at Epsom Jobcentre Plus, who helped Maddi overcome her initial reluctance to apply for Universal Credit.

Maddi talked about her difficult situation at the time:

“My mental health has always been a struggle. Finding a job is so much harder when you believe you’re not good enough.”

“I told my work coaches Julia and Emma about my mental health and how it was a hurdle for me in every aspect, even being on the phone to them. They immediately calmed me and were so accommodating, conversational, humane and easy to talk to. I felt like I finally had someone who I could talk to about finding the job right for me.”

Maddi’s fortune changed, as her persistence paid off when a Kickstart position for an Assistant Community Coach became available at AFC Wimbledon Foundation.

Kickstart is a programme that aims to get young people aged 16 – 24 on Universal Credit back into employment. The initiative sees young people being offered six-month work placements, with wages of up to 25 hours a week being fully paid by the government.

Maddi reflected on her experience:

“I saw the role and thought instantly it was a dream opportunity. Julia did everything she possibly could to ensure I was able to apply for this job. I was accepted for an interview and got new clothes through the Flexible Support Fund. I was offered the job the next day. Between me and my family we could’ve filled a swimming pool with tears!”

“To be able to have an opportunity, not only at the club I love, but just to get my foot in the door for a career in football is so fantastic. I’m so excited to get involved around the community. Helping is my passion, and to know everything I am doing is for a good cause, I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

Maddi utilised her 6-month kickstart placement at AFC Wimbledon Foundation to the fullest. After making such a positive impact at the organisation, Maddi was offered the opportunity to work in her role on a full-time basis.

Maddi’s work coach Emma added:

“To know Maddi has been kept on at AFC Wimbledon Foundation to complete an apprenticeship is the cherry on-top. I have no doubt that with Maddi’s drive and ambition to help younger people with their mental health, and channelling that through sport, that she has a very bright future.”

Fiona Sutherland, Community Development Manager at AFC Wimbledon Foundation said:

“Maddi has been a pleasure to work with since day one. Her enthusiasm is contagious and passion inspiring. She encourages young people to give everything a go regardless of their ability and puts her all into ensuring everyone in her sessions feels valued and included. We are so pleased to have her on the team and can’t wait to see how she continues to grow and develop throughout her career with us.”

With her dream job secured for the long-term with the football club that she loves, Maddi has now kickstarted her career into the top corner and is set for the summit.

To find out more about the Kickstart programme, please click here.