Engagement Programme

Stockport Goalz Programme In Partnership With The Stockport MBC Youth Offending Service

Aim:

The overall aim of these weekly Monday evening football sessions is to offer the opportunity for young people aged 11-18 to take part in FREE regular physical exercise in a social friendly, safe, structured, enjoyable environment. Football is just one of the benefits to these players, who make friends and can socialise every Monday evening as a result. Players are also given the chance to be part of a team with regular extra activities, such as playing competitive football and entering tournaments and match day trips.

Role of the Stockport MBC Youth Offending Service (YOS):

Working with YOS has been vital in the success of this program. YOS is a multi-agency service with the principal aim of preventing and reducing re-offending by young people. YOS work with children and young people aged 8 and upwards into adulthood, as well as parents/carers, victims of offending and members of the community.

The service utilises the skills of staff from a range of professional backgrounds and specialism including those from partner agencies such as social care, police, health and the Probation Service. This means that we can respond to the needs of young people in a comprehensive way.

Stockport Community Foundation has worked in partnership with Stockport Council’s Youth Offending Service (YOS) since 2018.

YOS fund our football sessions currently being delivery every Monday at:

• Power League Centre, Heaton Mersey 4.30pm – 6.00pm.

Impact In To The Local Community:

The sessions delivered are helping the local community to reducing Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) in the local community due to the young people attending the sessions.

This is an opportunity for young people to form positive friendships and peer groups within their communities, under a structured environment of football.

Football in a structured environment is a proven successful model of reducing anti-social behaviour in communities. In effect, this project aims to take young people off the streets and place them in to a welcoming, organised and positive environment amongst their peers.

Participant Impact:

The sessions delivered to the young people will help with their confidence and self-esteem. All the young people who regularly attended the session have the opportunity in building new friendships and serving their community in a positive way. This not only builds important skills for life and work, but also improves their health and wellbeing.

The more the young people attend the sessions the more confidence they will have due to the sessions improving their fitness, techniques, teamwork and their all-round communication skills.

The perceptions of some young people in the local community can be negative. To help improve perceptions we to arrange a number of friendly matches with local community group & professional football clubs such as Manchester City Foundation, Manchester United Foundation and Life Leisure. This gives the opportunity to all participants of the Goalz programme to represent Stockport Community Foundation against other similar programmes. This will give members of the local community the chance to meet young people attending our sessions and show them in a positive light.

Successful Outcomes:

• Reduce Anti Social Behaviour
• Improve community cohesion
• Educate young people on health and well being
• Increase community pride
• Raise young people’s aspirations
• To work in partnership with other organisations in the local community
• Signposting some of the players to more advanced coaching programmes and Football Clubs.

If you would like further information about these sessions, then please contact the office on 07778 171964 or email info@scfcfoundation.com.

Buxton Goalz Programme In Partnership With High Peak Council & The National League Trust

Introduction:

We are delighted to be working with High Peak Council in delivering such a positive impacting programme for Young People in the Buxton and surrounding area. The programme is currently funded by High Peak Council. The programme has been running for over 6 years and continues to develop each year.

Aim:

The football sessions are delivered every Wednesday evenings from 6pm to 8pm at Buxton Community School. The sessions are FREE of charge and are open for local children aged 10-18 years old. The main aims of the weekly sessions are:

• To help keep young people active, help develop football and life skills for young adults and to give participants a sense of fulfilment, enjoyment and belonging.
• To continually grow regular participant involvement with 35-40 participants currently attending, from the ages of 10-18 years old.
• To reduce anti social behaviour in the Buxton area at a peak time by providing a structured activity for young people aged 10-18 years to reduce calls to service such as police and High Peak Housing.
• To use football as method of engaging and educating young people who are normally difficult to reach.

Outcomes: 

The ‘Goalz project’ has given the opportunity for participants to play in competitive 11-a-side friendly games against various teams.

• Several players have been referred to local professional and semi=professional clubs in order to continue their footballing development Two participants have transitioned from players into coaches. Jamie Waller and Dean Hope were both players within the project however expressed a desire to start coaching. All participates now wear their own specialised ‘Goalz’ training jackets who regularly attended the projects sessions. We feel this creates a stronger sense of purpose and identity.

 Pathway Players/Coaches: 

Under the guidance of experienced coach Simon Thorp, participants have made the transition from players to coaches and employed by the Stockport Community Foundation. A good example of this is Jamie Waller. He has since left to go to University to pursue his dream of becoming a PE teacher, whilst Dean Hope has recently just joined our team of coaches from being one of the players over the two years. The project have also supported other young adults to gain valuable work experience this has helped guided, grow and develop their knowledge of coaching football to young people attending the weekly sessions.

Simon Thorp is delighted with the development and impact the programme is having on the community. ‘I would like to thank the High Peak Borough Council, along with the players who attend and our other coaches who deliver the sessions. Thanks to your commitment and help this project keeps on going from strength to strength, in order to overall help and advance the youngsters within the Derbyshire area’.

If you would like further information about these sessions, then please contact the office on 07778 171964 or email info@scfcfoundation.com.