Community Football Project going very well!

Here is a picture from what I think is probably one of my favourite projects at the moment. Last year, a funding application submitted to the Football Foundation was approved and the Thetford Community Association was awarded £8,000 plus £2,000 from Norfolk Community Foundation to run football coaching sessions at the Ballpark on the Redcastle Estate for two years. We launched the project in March of this year, having first recruited three coaches - all of which live local. We worked through risk assessments, produced session registers, membership forms and we registered as an 'employer' for payroll and everything that goes with that. The sessions now take place every Tuesday and Thursday. There are regularly 25-30 youngsters aged 10-15 years attending - mainly boys. Tonight, there were 36 youngsters - too many in fact! This project has been achieved by a committee of about 5 people, absolutely amazing. Credit also to the three coaches, who are working hard to make this project a success. £10,000 for this project is peanuts in the world of funding, but look how far it can go - 180 sessions, 25-30 youngsters engaged for 2 hours at every session, new skills taught, addressing behaviour, providing suitable role models, improving confidence and self esteem, encouraging healthier lifestyles etc etc etc, this sort of activity is not rocket science, it should be happening all the time in a community like Thetford where 25% of the population is under 16. Let's hope for more successes in the future