Northampton Borough Council Awarded £250,000 for Street Football Project
Northampton Borough Council's Sports Development Unit is delighted to announce that they have received external funding from the Football Foundation, the UKs biggest sports charity, and other local partners including Northamptonshire County Council, Northampton Town Football Club, The Wilson Foundation, Northamptonshire FA, Northampton Borough Council Community Safety Partnership and the High Sheriff Fund, for a 5-year Street Football Project across the town.
The award is from the Foundation's Community and Education Scheme, which aims to use football as a tool to promote social inclusion and challenge negative behaviour and attitudes. A successful pilot scheme has been running at Blackthorn since May 2003 which has seen coaches from Northampton Town Football in the Community go in each week to the Multi Use Games Area to deliver recreational football to children aged 8+.
This new funding will provide for a Street Football Officer who will coordinate and set up the schemes in five additional areas: Kings Heath, Thorplands, Semilong, St Crispins and St Davids. Lee Brown, presently working with Northampton Town's Football in the Community scheme has been appointed and will start in April set the project up and engage with the local community to recruit volunteers into coaching and make links with schools and youth organisations. It is envisaged that there will be a network of Street Football Clubs, who will play each other in friendly leagues and tournaments.
The Street Football Project is targeted towards areas of deprivation, looking to include anyone regardless of ability and tackling anti-social behaviour by providing positive alternative activities. It is a regular activity for young people on their doorstep and uses the five-a-side hard-kick about areas that the council has provided over the last few years.
The project has town-wide support and in particular from Northampton Town Learning Partnership, Northampton Town Football in the Community and Northamptonshire FA.
Minister for Sport, Richard Caborn MP welcomed the announcement:
"Football is a good way to not only engage the community but also positively affect change in young peoples lives and that is why this investment is so important".
Funded by the FA Premier League, the Football Association, Sport England and the Government, the Football Foundation is dedicated to revitalising the grass roots of the game, constructing modern football facilities, developing football as a force for social cohesion and as a vehicle for education in communities.
To launch this exciting new project we are combining with Northampton Town Football Club to have a cheque presentation on March 19th at Sixfields during the Swansea City match. Children from Thorplands and Blackthorn will give a skills demonstration at half-time and then the Football Foundation cheque will be presented by David Cardoza, Chair of NTFC and Kelly Simmons Head of National Football Development for the FA to the Borough Council. Also in attendance will be Councillor Barry Massey, Mayor of Northampton, Councillor Phil Larratt, Chair of the council and Tony Clark MP.