Street Soccer London are pleased to launch its next phase of development in supporting young players in the community. The Bootroom is an opportunity for staff and players to connect off of the pitch, providing a chance to learn more about those at the heart of our programmes: the players.
Taking place in ‘The Space’ at the Black Prince Trust on the last Wednesday of every month, Street Soccer staff cater for all players to come and socialise in safe space with food and refreshments. This monthly event allows open discussion on important issues such as conduct, policing and other aspects of life which may be important to players in the local community.
Programme Coordinator, Jack Badu, highlighted the significance of the Bootroom’s introduction to Street Soccer’s services.
“We find that although the players learn a lot of transferrable skills through play on the pitch, we want to get the chance to know more about some of the other issues we could support them with. So far, we have had great chats on gender, harassment as well as some workshops on personal development opportunities for players.
It’s a really open environment where a lot of the players can chat one-to-one, maybe enjoy a bit of FIFA or learn more about our local partners.”
With team-building exercises and honest discussions at the heart of the work so far, Jack is looking forward to working alongside partners to develop the concept further.
“A big thanks goes to the Black Prince Trust for helping us facilitate this. We are looking ahead to some corporate opportunities so that local business partners can learn more about what our players think but also so the players can learn more about the future and what experiences may be available to them.”
With the Bootroom available to all players at Street Soccer, parents and carers can learn more about the service by getting in touch with Jack at jack@streetsoccerlondon.org
By supporting young people through skills development both on and off the pitch, we can create a brighter future together.
