This is an update received from one of the projects we funded as part of our initial response to the Covid-19 pandemic. JLF awarded the Kinetic Foundation a grant of £10,000 to support eight weeks of football programmes for 280 young people aged 15-19 in July and August 2020 in Croydon and Haringey.
“Due to the impact of the global pandemic, a return to football in July was a difficult one. One coach was allowed to work with 5 young people, making it a logistical challenge over the summer months. Thanks to the generous grant of the Joseph Levy Foundation, we were able to fund more coaches to work with more groups of young people, adhering to FA guidelines and social distancing and maintain our summer project delivery to over 250 young people in Croydon and Haringey.
Throughout July and August, we delivered 22 hours a week in Croydon and an additional 6 hours in Haringey. Our coaches worked in bubbles throughout the non-contact period of July, increasing capacity to groups of 30, when the FA allowed, in August. Not only did these sessions allow local young people to keep physically active at a time when activity levels were very low post lockdown, the social element of small group sessions allowed coaches to build relationships, listen to challenges being faced by young people and help signpost them to future projects at the end of the summer holidays” - James Fotheringham, CEO at the Kinetic Foundation.
For more information about the Kinetic Foundation click here.