Vote now for Street Football Wales

One of our favourite projects is up for an award - and we definitely think it deserves a medal! Here, our PR Manager Jane Thomas tells us why you should vote!

Street Football Wales - which features on our case studies page (basically, our top picks when it comes to great projects) - is currently competing for votes to be in with a chance of winning at this year's National Lottery Awards.

If it wins, it will win £2000 in prize money - which would go a long, long way in its bid to provide football opportunities for homeless and socially excluded people.

 


Back in 2012, Street Football Wales secured a Sport Wales grant of just over £9,000. This was ploughed into developing a group of coaches and a new league structure. It also helped to increase opportunities for BME communities too.
Having started in Swansea, the project now covers a massive patch covering Caernarfon, Flint, Conwy, Wrexham, Carmarthen., Llandovery, Swansea, Newport and Cardiff.
But the real beauty of this project is not just the football! As a result of taking part, the players are now much more involved within their communities - whether its as part of forums for third sector mental health organisations and services for refugees and asylum seekers, for example.

We always talk about the power of sport. And here it is in action...two thirds of 560 participants in the charity’s East, West & North leagues last year completed a survey showing the positive impact that the project had on their lives.
  • 87 per cent said their mental and physical health had improved
  • 63 per cent said their drug and alcohol use had reduced
  • 91% said their confidence and self esteem had improved
 As Keri Harris, who heads up the projects, says:
"By being involved in community services in this way, the coaches have had a positive impact on service users' physical well-being and ability to make healthier lifestyle choices,"adds Harris.
"Participants have also developed exit routes for some players to enter mainstream sport and have a positive impact in communities as coaches, sports leaders and first aiders.

Players have been able to build their CVs, improve skills, experience, qualifications and can now provide potential employers with a checkable history and reference - moving them closer to gaining employment and social inclusion.
"The reality," explains Keri. "Is that many of the players would find it difficult to engage in mainstream football training and volunteer programmes and require these opportunities in a safe and friendly environment."
So do something good today. Vote for this amazing project and give it the recognition it deserves. Vote here.

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