Positive Youth Foundation have offered vital post-lockdown support to children in ethnically diverse areas of Coventry thanks to support from Levelling the Playing Field and the Tackling Inequalities Fund.
Positive Youth Foundation are one of LtPF’s specialist partners in the West Midlands and have received two rounds of Sport England Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF), which was secured for many organisations in our network by the Alliance of Sport.
Post-lockdown, Positive Youth Foundation decided to use the funding to expand their Saturday morning football provision in the socially deprived but ethnically diverse area of Hillfields.
The funding was used to pay for venue hire and ensure appropriately skilled and trained staff were consistently present to build relationships with the participants.
Previous funding of the Saturday 11-1pm session only allowed entry to over 14-year-olds, but the TIF money has opened it up to 8-13-year-olds too. Each week anywhere between 30 and 80 local children turn up to enjoy being active with their friends in an accessible and inclusive setting.
“Coming out of lockdown, we knew there was a need to revive the Saturday morning session because there is not much other free provision out there,” said Nikki Miles, Positive Youth Foundation’s Programmes Lead – Physical Activity and Sport.
“It has given us another avenue to support those younger age groups. It has been a huge boost for them and we’ve had a much bigger cohort of young people from the Hillfields and Foleshill areas come out to engage with us.
“Behaviour and attitudes towards sport and exercise change as children get older, so we need to cater for them at all ages. Playing sport is about so much more than being active – it’s about health, mental health, wellbeing, social inclusion, building confidence and being able to express themselves.”
As well as an outlet for physical activity, the open-access sessions feature lots of conversations with the participants which may throw up concerns, such as mental wellbeing or family issues. Staff can signpost young people to other PYF programmes or to external organisations which might help support them.
“Having the right staff members there to talk to has given young people a positive impact coming out of lockdown and simply the opportunity to play football again,” said Nikki.
“It’s about having a laugh and kickabout with your friends in a safe, comfortable environment in an area that they know really well. It uses football as a vehicle to achieve community cohesion and keep them safe and well.”