Street Football Wales
Posted on Thursday, March 5, 2009 at 8:48pm
one response
Today I went to the launch of the new Street Football Wales season that took place at the Phoenix Centre in Townhill. Street Football Wales (SFW) provides social inclusion through football and aims to:
- Engage with people over the age of 16 who experience social exclusion through homelessness, mental ill health, long term unemployment, criminal justice issues, drug/alcohol issues etc.
- Use football to promote social inclusion and develop participant’s self esteem, self belief, motivation and physical and mental welbeing. SFW is particularly effective in helping people who have found it difficult to engage with support agencies.
- Provide football-training opportunities through existing Welsh Football Trust training courses for those that have demonstrated sufficient commitment, attitude and ability.
- Improve participants ability to manage personal relationships, social networks and relationships with support networks.
- Challenge perceptions of homelessness and socially excluded people and eliminate stigma whilst raising awareness of the barriers faced by participants in all aspects of their lives.
The project is looking to establish itself as a registered charity, and to employ one full time member of staff to administer the project, as currently it is all done on a voluntary basis although Trothwy housing are providing support for publications and events. I’m hoping to help them look for funding for a team to go out to Milan in the summer to take part in the Homeless World Cup, and if any companies are interested in sponsoring them then email me or streetfootballwales@hotmail.co.uk . I think this would be a great initiative for a Welsh company or organisation to support. Embarrassingly, the Indian football team last year was sponsored by a Welsh company, and the Welsh team couldn’t go as it didn’t have any formal backing. I’m going to try to make sure that this doesn’t happen again! I think its a great idea, and all the people I’ve met so far who are involved are passionate about making it work. The BBC Wales programme “Sport Wales” attended the day, and filmed part of the launch this year as they are doing a piece on the project for the programme and hope to go to Milan with the team
Working as activities co-ordinator for cyrenians cymru, many of our service users really look forward to the next match with the street football. It gives them a great sense of achievemnet, enjoyment and some good fitness too! a cause well worth supporting