Footballing into a brighter future

17 year old James (not his real name) did not believe in himself. He would make trouble and started fights most sessions at King’s Kids. Social workers tried to get through to him in so many ways, but nothing was working.

Then James joined the Jona Lavy Football Fellowship, King’s Kids’ youth initiative which aims to increase confidence, trust and collaboration through football training and matches. Once the young people have evidenced that they can be reliable and responsible at training , King’s Kids matches them to local businesses who have offered apprenticeships.

My time here has changed everything… I didn’t know I could be trusted with any responsibility because everyone around me said I was worthless.. you’ve taught me not to be temperamental and later assigned me the responsibility of keeping the team’s football… that’s an honour.”

James dreams of becoming an electrician some day. He continues to attend football and life coaching sessions every Saturday as King’s Kids continue to meet with businesses in the hopes of finding training opportunities for him and several others.