Football and Life Academy

Crewe YMCA Foyer

The Foyer is a supported accommodation and training provider for young people up to the age of 30. Over 150 young adults access their accommodation provision each year.

What were the project aims?:

The project aimed to use football as a way of addressing the learning needs of young adults, improving their health and fitness and developing their life skills.

The project worked with single young men who were homeless, living in The Foyer, or moving on into independent accommodation. Many of these learners were involved in the criminal justice system, had drug and alcohol issues and/or mental health problems. Their physical health was often poor and their educational potential unrealized due to their chaotic lifestyles and personal histories.

What did the project do?:

The project created a six-week football academy training programme. This provided the opportunity for participants to develop their football skills at any level, and to play in local leagues. They also took part in an embedded life skills learning programme focusing on:

anger management
teamwork
planning ahead
body management
self-motivation
management of the emotions.

The life skills were delivered through a pitch-side learning model using the medium and language of football. The sessions were run either on the pitch or in the clubhouse. 30 learners took part in these sessions, jointly delivered by a Life Skills Tutor and a Football Coach.

What did the project achieve?:

Learner retention on the programme was over 75%. Participants gained increased confidence and ability to manage their own lives. 30% have now moved on to accredited learning opportunities, and a further 40% to more informal learning opportunities. Six participants have completed their FA coaching qualification and another four were in the process of doing so when the final project report was written.
The YMCA has two football teams playing in local leagues as a result of this project. This has given Foyer residents a sense of having a stake in the local community and has helped to create a sense of belonging that is often difficult to achieve for young people who have come from socially excluded backgrounds.
Ten participants are now in paid work. Two have become internal YMCA volunteers and 14 others have been volunteering at sports events in Manchester.
There have been reduced levels of alcohol and substance misuse among almost all the participants.
There is evidence that the participants have valued the learning opportunity offered by the programme and this has helped them to sustain their housing tenancies and settle in their accommodation when they move on from The Foyer.
A group of young people who have left The Foyer and moved into settled accommodation have set up their own football team in the local community and now play in the Sunday league.
The degree of engagement in the pitch side learning has had a positive spin off in the learning environment of the YMCA training department generally.

What lessons were learned?:

The idea of using football as a learning platform was very successful as a first step engagement tool . This is something that learning providers often struggle to find for the more hard to reach young males. The project made it clear to their learners that the programme was about both football and life, and the balance of the programme worked really well.
A critical feature of the success of the programme was the joint delivery through both a Football Coach and a Life Skills Tutor. This worked because both shared an interest in football and were able to maximise the wider learning and personal development opportunities.
Partnerships were also important to the success of the project. The Foyer worked with local football clubs and training facilities, and Cheshire East Sport and Leisure Department offered FA coaching courses. Streetgames UK also offered opportunities for volunteering and wider sports participation opportunities.
Many learners were keen to progress to more learning but there are limited opportunities that are appropriate to this target group.

How can I get more information?:

Crewe YMCA Foyer
189 Gresty Road
Crewe
Cheshire
CW2 6EL