Kickz Progress Report - Monitoring and Evaluation 2009

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Progress report

Monitoring and

Evaluation 2009

This comprehensive and very positive report underlines the phenomenal impact that Kickz is having in deprived, challenging neighbourhoods across the country and highlights the positive effect it is having on the lives of thousands of young people. The Football Foundation is very proud to manage centrally this hugely successful programme that has been able to engage over 30,000 young people in just three short years.

The simple premise of the programme is that it responds to the needs of young people. Through intelligence provided by a network of over 650 local partners and police forces, we know that we are delivering the right activities in the right places, at the right times to ensure maximum impact. To this end, over 90% of Kickz projects include sessions on a Friday and/or Saturday evening, when provision has traditionally been lacking.

I would like to congratulate and thank my own staff in the Football Foundation, the teams in our partner organisations, and all the professional club staff and volunteers for their enthusiasm and dedication towards making Kickz such an unprecedented success. The task now is to ensure that Kickz continues to grow while retaining quality of delivery at all levels.

I am delighted with the achievements of Kickz and the united approach from football, the police and local authorities which has underpinned its success. In London, projects are now delivered in all 32 boroughs, with over 17,000 young people benefiting as a result. I’m also very pleased to say that the national programme also now encompasses multiple projects in another 16 regional police force areas.

By providing young people with regular, positive and developmental activities, the programme has become much more than simply diversionary provision. It provides an excellent forum for young people and safer neighbourhood police teams to develop positive relationships, as well as an influential means of delivering important preventive messages on issues such as substance misuse, carrying weapons and advice on personal safety.

I remain convinced by the programme’s positive effect on youth crime and anti-social behaviour and it is particularly encouraging to hear that so many young people are reporting improvements in community cohesion, relationships with one another and a safer feel to their neighbourhoods.

Kickz has become an integral part of the Premier League’s Creating Chances community programme. It is an excellent example of the role that a professional football club can now play in tackling many different social issues.

The recognition that Kickz received at the prestigious national Sport Industry Awards 2009, winning Best Community Programme, is testament to the huge strides it has made in a relatively short time. As this report highlights, Kickz continues to gain support from a range of sectors including across different sports, police forces and the political spectrum.

The growth of Kickz to over 100 projects, delivered by almost 40 Premier League and Football League clubs, underlines the unrivalled power of football to connect with and inspire young people. The involvement of the clubs is central to the project’s success, helping amplify the key messages that Kickz carries, particularly to those who may otherwise be difficult to reach.

Kickz has also shown the huge benefit of focussing on harnessing the undoubted potential of young people. Over 29,000 positive outcomes and qualifications have been recorded amongst those taking part, with over 2,300 youngsters volunteering their time on projects, becoming role models to those around them. Kickz really goes to show the positive part that young people can play in improving the areas in which they live.

Forewords

Paul Thorogood,

Chief Executive,

Football Foundation

Tim Godwin,

Deputy Commissioner,

Metropolitan Police

Richard Scudamore,

Chief Executive,

Premier League

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ContentsExecutive Summary

Section 1The Kickz Model – Background and Partnerships

Section 2Measuring Progress and Impact– Growth, expansion and consolidation

Section 3Volunteering – The Kickz pathway

Section 4Policy contributions – national, regional and local

Section 5Crime, anti-social behaviour and improving relationships with the police

Section 6Where Every Child Matters

Section 7Major events and celebrating success

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Creating safer, stronger, more respectful communities through the development of young peoples’ potential.

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Impacting positivelyon communities across the country

Executive Summ

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Executive Summary

The Kickz model – background and partnerships

Right activities, right places, right times

Kickz is much more than a football and sports development programme. Local partnerships ensure that projects are delivered in the right places, at the right times. Young people take ownership of their projects and help guide decisions, so that the right activities are delivered and refreshed when necessary. A huge variety of sports, music, arts, and social/personal development workshops are provided at projects by a range of partners.

Partnership ethos and joined up solutions

Partnership working is fundamental to the Kickz ethos at all levels. Nationally, the programme benefits from high profile support across a range of sectors including Football, Police and Government – the primary national partners include the Football Foundation, Premier League and Metropolitan Police (who link to the Association of Chief Police Officers and hence other police forces across the country). The programme has also developed an impressive network of over 650 local partners, including multiple departments within local authorities and police safer neighbourhood teams. This allows projects to effectively adapt to local needs and address a wide range of social issues through joined up solutions, joint partnership, partner expertise and influence.

National, regional and local investment

By uniting behind shared projects, local partners involved in Kickz are helping to avoid short-term delivery cycles and individualist approaches. They are getting value for money through match funding arrangements, access to the Kickz programme network and associated brands. Accompanying benefits also include central project management support and quality assurance checks, an advanced monitoring tool, bespoke training packages along with regional and national events. Over £9.4m in central funding has been pledged and the amount of local match/partnership funding is continually rising, with over £3.7m allocated already.

The Kickz programme’s vision is ‘to build safer, stronger, more respectful communities through the development of young peoples’ potential’.In delivering effectively against this vision, the programme has seen phenomenal success and growth in its first three years. Having been introduced with the ambition of raising the bar for provision of this kind, the programme’s accomplishments were underlined in winning the prestigious, national Sport Industry Award for ‘Best Community Programme’ 2009. In addition, the model and programme approach to monitoring, including the ability to effectively capture quantitative

and qualitative data, were commended in the 2009 Audit Commission Report: ‘Tired of Hanging Around’.

The summary below is based on the key messages presented throughout this national progress report, with further detail, expansive statistical analysis and a multitude of case studies found within each relevant section.

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Measuring progress and impact

Significantly exceeding growth and attendance targets

Since the programme pilot projects were launched three years ago, Kickz has grown dramatically, especially during the period 2007-08. The programme has significantly exceeded all of its growth targets. At the time of going to press, 39 professional football clubs and their partners had engaged over 30,000 young people, at 110 projects, located in 17 different police force areas and within 59 local authority boundaries. Each participant had been engaged for an average of over 60 hours and a total of 1. 8 million aggregate contact hours had been delivered.

Quality assurance and substantial contact hours

At a time of significant expansion, the quality of provision has been enhanced with best practice shared across the programme. This is reflected in the average contact hours that young people have engaged with projects, which has increased year on year. Subsequently, Kickz projects have seen a collective increase in the percentage of young people completing 50, 75 and 100 hours of contact with the programme per annum.

Intense growth across all of London

The programme has experienced particularly intense growth in London, catalysed by major investment from the Metropolitan Police and the Football Foundation. All 14 professional football clubs in the capital are involved with 69 projects being delivered across all 32 boroughs. By the end of May 2009, London based Kickz projects had engaged close to 16,000 young people and had delivered over one million aggregate contact hours. London Kickz projects have collectively seen a rise in average contact time with the percentage of participants achieving 50, 75 and 100 hours of contact rising slightly above the average for the rest of the country.

Continued growth across the country

Growth in the number of projects has also occurred in regions outside of London. In September 2008, eight new clubs joined the scheme, thanks to investment from the DCMS via the Premier League’s Good Causes Fund. Positive statistical trends in engagement have continued across the country, including numbers of young people engaged and the average contact hours per young person. For example, in Greater Manchester alone, almost 200,000 contact hours had been delivered by the end of May 2009, with over 2,800 young people engaged on the programme, each for an average of 68 hours.

Age groups engaged In 2008-09, there was an even distribution curve across the Kickz age range (12-18yrs), with the majority of Kickz participants aged between 13 and 16. In relation to many other similar programmes, Kickz has notable success in engaging older teenage participants: those more likely to be disengaged from organised sport, whilst also being subject to risk factors associated with crime and anti-social behaviour.

Gender Higher male participation is not surprising, given the popularity of football and with offending rates among young men being more pronounced. However Kickz has also engaged over 4,500 young women to date and increasing numbers of clubs are recording over 20% female participation. Following rapid expansion of the programme, the overall female percentage dipped, but has since bounced back, climbing to above 15%. Best practice is being shared across the Kickz network with projects adapting to suit the needs and specific requests of girls in each area, trends have seen young women engage with projects over a period of time.

Ethnicity Kickz participants nationally are from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. At the local level, the ethnic profile of participants reflects the makeup of the local population. A number of clubs and partners are organising campaigns, activities and events to help celebrate diversity, particularly in areas where problems or tensions between groups exist. The sizeable Kickz network gives young people the opportunity to meet others from different areas and improve relationships.

Geographic profile and deprivation

Partners have maintained focus on taking projects to target neighbourhoods – those suffering from high levels of multiple deprivation, crime and anti-social behaviour. A third of participants live in the top 10% most deprived locations in England, with three quarters in the 30% most deprived areas. The vast majority of participants continue to live in close proximity to venue locations.

Outputs, outcomes and qualifications

Over 29,000 personal outcomes and qualifications have been achieved by Kickz participants since the programme was launched. There has been a significant increase in the number of outcomes and qualifications being achieved in the past twelve months. Almost 1,500 qualifications and accreditations have been achieved to date including over 600 specifically related to football. There were almost 3,200 attendances at anti-weapons related workshops in the last year alone, along with over 5,500 reports of significant improvements in health and physical fitness.

Executive Summ

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Volunteering culture

Volunteering focus Kickz aims to embed a culture of volunteering within projects and provides a vehicle to connect with those who may often prove difficult to engage and educate around its benefits. There is a high level of ethnic diversity amongst Kickz volunteers and the majority are aged 15 and over. The programme has a partnership with the youth volunteering charity v and has seen exponential volunteering growth, engaging close to 2,300 volunteers by May 2009. In total, the programme has created and filled over 19,000 volunteering opportunities.

Part-time volunteers progression

75% of all volunteering opportunities provided within the programme have gone to those aged 16-25yrs. 521 of the 16-25 year olds volunteering on Kickz have gone on to do so on a more regular, part-time basis. Of this group, 61% have progressed into education, training or employment and a further 17% into another volunteering opportunity. 30% of the group specifically progressed into employment and, very impressively, 170 young people have gone on to work within one of the 39 Kickz football clubs/community schemes. Kickz is delivering on its intention to home grow positive local role models and deliverers of the future from within the target communities.

Policy contributions

Complementing national and regional policy

In terms of impact, Kickz meets a range of policy objectives and can be regarded as a cross-Government initiative at both national and local level. By embracing a developmental (as opposed to simply ‘diversionary’) approach, Kickz is ahead of the field in reflecting the Government’s 10 year youth strategy Aiming High. It is notable how well Kickz matches with the ten defining features of quality youth provision listed in the document.

Kickz fits well with best practice definitions of successful youth practice recommended by a wide range of groups. For instance, the key themes in the London Mayor’s Time for Action document are also congruent with the Kickz model, not least in terms of working together, disseminating best practice, combating the fear of youth and ensuring that quality and results matter.

Local policy frameworks

The job of implementing national policy with regard to offering youth activities in the right places at the right times falls mainly to local authorities. Kickz delivers in 59 local authority areas and is in a strong position to further help them to deliver on a wide range of key objectives and targets, supplying performance data to satisfy Comprehensive Area Assessments and the new local performance frameworks.

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Major events and celebrating success

The Kickz Cup Anti-Knife campaign

By harnessing the highly influential power of football and scale of the Kickz network, the Kickz Cup saw thousands of participants, within 137 teams, support the Home Office anti-knife campaign: It Doesn’t have to Happen. Kickz participants primarily live in Tackling Knife Action Programme Areas and are often very aware of the issue, in many cases reporting direct experience. It is common that they are uninformed on the facts and repercussions of carrying a knife, which were made clear by hard hitting Be Safe workshops. Such workshops took place alongside the tournaments which were based at prestigious professional football facilities, including grand finals at Derby County’s Pride Park and Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge. The workshops were very highly commended by participants and staff alike and 92% said they would continue with the campaign.

National Kickz Awards

Countering negative stereotypes, the Kickz Awards event at Wembley Stadium showcased the most inspiring young individuals that make a difference to their community as part of the programme. The Awards aim to celebrate success and also recognise the strong national and local partnerships that lie behind Kickz. Particular appreciation is given to those who do an exceptional job in mentoring and inspiring young people; helping transform the atmosphere in difficult neighbourhoods.

Crime, anti-social behaviour and improving relations with the police

Breaking down barriers with the police

Kickz is taking a comprehensive approach to tackling a range of risk factors associated with youth crime and anti-social behaviour. This extends not only in helping to prevent young people becoming perpetrators, but also includes those who are vulnerable as victims.

Police are key strategic players behind each individual Kickz project. Operationally, police staff and Community Support Officers also regularly access and support projects. Where few other opportunities may exist to engage on positive terms, sessions act as a vehicle to break down barriers between young people and the authorities. More involved examples of support include running well received workshops on a range of issues such as personal safety, stop and search and the dangers of carrying weapons.

Positive impact on crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB)

It is challenging to prove a cause and effect relationship between youth intervention programmes and crime/ASB rates. However to show the impact locally, Kickz goes beyond similar programmes’ research methods. Police statistical data and other quantitative results are combined with qualitative case studies and testimony from partners and police across a range of levels.

In 2008 partners stated that as part of a local strategy, crime/ASB reductions of up to 50% could be linked to the scheme. In the two regions where the most Kickz projects operate (London and the North West) reductions in crime were over five times greater on the most popular days when Kickz was running. Impressively, there was little evidence to suggest that crime was being displaced to other days or times.

As the programme has expanded, the police crime analysis report for 2009 (summarised by regional force), shows that positive trends have continued across scheme areas. Reductions in ASB of up to 60% have been reported, along with reductions of up to 20% in select crime, which are those crimes most commonly associated with young people. Multiple regional force statistics have shown falling crime in key areas, including up to 28% reductions in criminal damage and 19% reductions in violence against the person. The message becomes more compelling when acknowledging other key findings from this progress report, including the amount of activity taking place on Friday and Saturday evenings.

In recognising the significant and multiple costs of crime, Kickz presents a cost effective partnership approach to complement local intervention strategies.

Market leading in Friday & Saturday evening provision

When compared to many other activity providers, Kickz can be seen as a national leader in delivering successful activities on Friday and Saturday nights, with 91% of all projects including activity on one or both of these days. This is particularly impressive in relation to local authority youth provision, where only 4% of activities are delivered on a Friday night and less than 1% on a Saturday. The 2008 report Engaging Communities and Fighting Crime noted that incidents are higher on these nights and surveys of the public marked these evenings as being the most important for youth provision. Numerous other strategies focus attention on the importance of this issue including the Government’s Youth Crime Action Plan and Tackling Knives Action Programme.

Kickz is also adopting best practice principles in the delivery of its Friday and Saturday night provision, working together with local partners and the young people who engage. The programme is also leading the way in being able to evidence the attractiveness and take up of its weekend provision by young people. Each project operates at least three evenings a week, with differing combinations of days, however Friday and Saturday evenings account for over 40% of all contact hours.

Executive Summ

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Every Child Matters

Holistic approach Kickz is very well positioned to deliver against the Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda, with an abundance of case studies available at projects. Outputs and outcomes are often connected to several and, in some cases, all five of the ECM framework strands.

Being healthy The programme’s impact on young people’s health is particularly impressive, making a vast contribution to Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) targets on the hours of weekly physical activity undertaken by individuals, all year round. Along with improvements in mental and emotional health, creative approaches linked to sports science and demands of the professional game, are engaging and educating young people to review their lifestyle choices and target improvements in health and fitness.

Through partnerships with specialist agencies and workforce training, Kickz also delivers well received sessions on issues such as drug and alcohol misuse, nutrition, sexual health and teenage pregnancy. Since Kickz areas include significant health deprivation, the programme can play an important role in assisting the DCMS, Department of Health and local authorities in meeting their targets.

Staying safe and improving community spirit

A major strength of Kickz is in addressing a range of young people’s safety issues in support of the Home Office and DCSF policy agendas. Kickz provides safe places to go, with positive things to do and goes further with the provision of advice and specific workshops relating to a variety of societal issues faced by young people.

A clear and consistent message from participants is that projects are improving the feeling of safety and community spirit, primarily as a result of improved relationships between young people of different ages and backgrounds. Participants report improvements in tense atmospheres, due to the fact that regular, safe and popular activities have been provided at key times.

Making positive contributions

Projects provide an attractive option and range of ways for young people to positively contribute to their communities, both as individuals and as teams. Impressive volunteering figures and case studies provide particularly tangible evidence of this. Examples range from engaging in clean up operations of project facilities, to successfully working together to secure funding for enhancing facilities at their projects and within the local community.

The programme has consequently recorded over 4,000 notable improvements in individuals’ confidence and self esteem, further equipping the young people to deal with significant life changes and challenges.

Achieving economic well-being

The programme’s introduction and focus on creating a culture of volunteering (particularly for those over 16yrs), has acted as a catalyst for many young people to re-engage in, or find further pathways into education, employment and training.

As projects have become established and unemployment has risen up the political agenda, increasing numbers of projects are aiming to improve the employability prospects of participants. Along with enhancing the content of a young person’s CV, practical skills such as CV writing are promoted in partnership with vocational trainers, careers advisors and educational institutions. Development of softer skills, such as interpersonal and teamwork qualities, further enhance young people’s chances of being considered ‘job ready’ by potential employers.

Kickz projects can therefore contribute to DCSF and Department for Work and Pensions’ policy priorities by acting as important intermediaries between young people, educational opportunities and pathways to employment.

Enjoying and achieving Kickz projects provide important opportunities for young people in target areas to enjoy and achieve, particularly in the form of personal and social development. The programme effectively harnesses the fact that sport can be a powerful tool in developing a range of social skills and projects further complement this by addressing a range of other personal development issues outside of formal education/school settings. The intensity of provision builds trusted relationships so that coaching staff can often act as a safety net for young people who are struggling with challenging social or educational issues.

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1.0The Kickz Model – Background and PartnershipsThis report details how the Kickz programme has impacted positively on communities across the country and has grown at a very significant pace. As well as identifying current and future challenges, it highlights the continued achievements of the programme, which were recognised in winning the prestigious national Sports Industry Award for ‘Best Community Programme 2009’.

The Kickz model and programme approach to monitoring, including the ability to effectively capture quantitative and qualitative data were also commended in the 2009 Audit Commission Report entitled: Tired of Hanging Around1.

This 2009 national monitoring and evaluation document for the programme is the second annual report and relates primarily to the period from 01 June 2008 to 31 May 2009, although comparisons are made with other time periods throughout.

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ickz Model – Background and Partnerships

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1.1Kickz Vision

Using the power and appeal of professional football clubs’ brands to engage young people who may otherwise be difficult to reach, Kickz aims to target some of the most challenging and disadvantaged communities which suffer from higher rates of crime and anti-social behaviour. The programme’s vision is:

To create safer, stronger, more respectful communities through the development of young peoples’ potential.

Objectives

The objectives of the programme are to:

• Engage young people (aged 12-18yrs) in a range of constructive activities which link to the Government’s Every Child Matters framework.

• Increase the playing, coaching and officiating opportunities for participants.

• Break down barriers between the police and young people.• Reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in the targeted

neighbourhoods.• Encourage volunteering within projects and throughout the target

neighbourhoods.• Create routes into education, training and employment.• Increase young people’s interest in and connections with the

professional game.

1.2The Kickz model

Kickz projects adopt a consistent format, while having the flexibility to develop their own local ‘personality’ and reflect specific needs of the communities in which they are based. Sessions operate on a minimum of three nights a week, 48 weeks per year. The long term focused approach builds trust and better relationships with young people, allowing for development opportunities beyond football. Sessions typically involve two nights of football (coaching and competition) and one ‘flexible’ session.

1.2.1Targeting – Right places, right times

Kickz is targeted geographically at young people living in communities where they are considered to be at greater risk of being vulnerable to crime, either as victims or potential offenders. With partner agency guidance and a review of intelligence and current provision, local Kickz partners, including the police and local authority, proactively identify the project locations and influence the days and times of provision. Most often this is based on factors such as levels of deprivation, crime and anti-social behaviour. In many respects Kickz can be seen to be an industry leading programme. For instance 91% of projects include activity on a Friday and/or Saturday evening.

“There are lots of families where the parents are working all the hours God sends and don’t come home until 8 or 9pm and give their kid a key. The kid says they’ve been home since school, but half of them are lying. From my experience on the estate I grew up in, between 5-8pm was when there was time to kill and kids were getting into trouble. The more initiatives like Kickz that are set up, the greater the chance of stopping that trouble.”Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United and England (speaking at Manchester United Foundation’s Kickz project

in Old Trafford.)

1 Audit Commission – Tired of Hanging Around: Using sport and leisure activities to prevent anti-social behaviour by young people www.audit-commission.gov.uk

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1.2.2The right activities for young people – addressing recreational needs plus personal, social and community issues

Kickz harnesses the extraordinary power of football and kudos of the professional club brands in young peoples’ lives. The centrality of football as the single most important engagement strategy remains evident. However, what is also very clear is that Kickz is not simply a football programme. The programme’s key retention and further engagement strategy is based on ongoing consultation and the involvement of local young people, to decide what other activities are provided. In this way, young people are met on their own terms and are encouraged to take ownership of their projects.

The third or ‘flexible’ night of provision, within each Kickz project’s weekly schedule, allows them to continually adapt and refresh activity to maintain interest, or engage other groups who may not have the same passion as others do for football.

The range of activities provided across the Kickz network sees a huge range of other sports, music, arts and social development activities delivered. Encouragingly, as the programme model intends, it is also clear that Kickz flexible provision also includes a wide range of personal development activities, covering issues from healthy eating, sexual health and career development sessions, to workshops on the dangers of getting involved in drugs, gangs or carrying weapons.

“The Kickz programme is very well established... and has positively engaged many young people from a variety of different backgrounds. The uniqueness of the Kickz project’s “3rd additional night” of activity has enabled many to engage in further personal and social development opportunities such as: health and educational workshops, volunteering and accreditation.”Brendan O’Keefe, Head of Youth Services, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

The huge variety of flexible activities has become a particularly impressive aspect of the programme, with vibrant projects including unexpected activities in some cases. Examples stretch to include: army team building and confidence boosting sessions delivered by many clubs, sailing at Portsmouth’s coastal Kickz sessions, motorbike education and maintenance sessions (to respond to young person related moped issues in Middlesbrough) and dragon boat racing in the River Mersey with Everton/Liverpool Kickz (as part of the Chief Constable’s challenge). Kickz has even produced the national U13 female wrestling champion thanks to popular sessions provided by Bolton Wanderers. The following case study on the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation gives a flavour for the variety of flexible sessions that ensure each Kickz project develops its own ‘personality’ that is in tune with the needs of the local young people and community. The picture montage (right) reflects a range of activities from various clubs.

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Case study: Tottenham Hotspur Foundation Flexible sessions

Tottenham Hotspur Foundation run a total of eight Kickz projects in the London Boroughs of Barnet, Enfield, Haringey and Waltham Forest, plus another project in Harlow, Essex. As with all projects, their approach retains football at the core of their provision and they have also created relationship building, inter-borough Kickz leagues, as well as entering competitions with other clubs on a regional/national basis.

With their partners, they have developed an ever expanding suite of flexible provision in consultation with young people at each of their sessions. In some cases this forms the basis of regular weekly provision, but activities may also be delivered as part of a specific period of activity, or one off session. In many instances they have found that activities are well received across all projects and areas, however they have also needed to vary provision to cater for the particular dynamics of young people in each area.

Examples of flexible provision delivered by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and their partners include:

Anti-Guns sessions (Met Police – Operation Trident)Athletics (inter-borough Kickz Olympics)BadmintonBasketballBE Safe – Anti-weapons and personal safety sessionsBoxing/BoxerciseCollege course linksComputer gamesCookery lessonsFootball freestylingGym sessionsIt Doesn’t Have to Happen – Anti-knife regional tournamentMusic – MCing, DJing, Choir practice, poetry, talent showsPlayer/personality visits including manager Harry RedknappPrince’s Trust – Get into youth work coursesRock ClimbingSexual Health workshopsStreet DanceSport and Football accreditationTable TennisTottenham ‘Hotwheels’ (Roller Skating)Visits inc. stadium tours and football matchesVolunteering opportunitiesYouth Forums and accreditation with the GLA

1.3Developing the Kickz Workforce

Kickz provides a programme of training that targets a wide cross-section of individuals involved across the whole Kickz network. In order to ensure that multiple levels of involvement have training support, a suite of resources from skills-enhancing workshops through to career-progressing accredited qualifications, is in place. Clubs and projects also engage in their own training, as well as taking advantage of partner expertise.

Centrally offered courses vary from getting the most from volunteers and youth led decision making, to conflict resolution and successful project management. Enabling tutors to work with clubs in the preparation of course materials enhances a strategy of tailoring courses to the particular needs of Kickz and individual projects. The Kickz network itself has also been a key factor in developing a skilled and effective workforce.

“As a manager it has been tremendously rewarding to see staff members who, through working on Kickz, have developed into such capable leaders, communicators and coaches. Not only have they gained the respect of the participants, but they have so ably represented Millwall Community Scheme and delivered the programme to such high standards that we are now working with our Kickz partners on a range of additional activities right across Lewisham and Southwark.”Loo Brackpool, Director, Millwall Community Scheme

“The Kickz programme really sets the standard for everything we do. The whole process of planning and preparing, delivery and innovation in programming and the monitoring and evaluation are all areas that we have learnt from, and look to transfer to other projects and programmes we get involved in.”John Shiels, CEO, Manchester United Foundation

KEY MESSAGE:Kickz is much more than a football and sports development programme. Local partnerships ensure that projects are delivered in the right places, at the right times and, as young people take ownership of their projects and help guide decisions, the right activities are delivered and refreshed when necessary. A huge variety of sports, music, arts, and social/personal development workshops are provided at projects by a range of partners.

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1.4The Kickz network and infrastructure

Partnership working is fundamental to the Kickz ethos at all levels of the programme. The diagram below summarises the multi-agency framework that Kickz benefits from nationally and locally, along with the high profile support across a range of sectors including Football, Police and Government. The Kickz network and infrastructure helps the programme to effectively address a wide range of social issues through joined up solutions along with partner expertise and influence.

1.4.1The importance of partnership working

1 National Kickz Steering Group: The senior Kickz partners and most significant investors in the programme include the Football Foundation, The Premier League and Metropolitan Police. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) are also present on the National Kickz Steering Group (KSG) in order to represent the interests of other regional police force areas around the country. The KSG meets on a six monthly basis to oversee the strategic direction and progress of the programme and includes Deputy Commissioner Tim Godwin (Metropolitan Police), Deputy Chief Constable Bernard Lawson (Merseyside Police and ACPO representative), Richard Scudamore (Premier League CEO) and Paul Thorogood (Football Foundation CEO).

2 National Kickz Operational Group: The national Kickz Operational Group (KOG) meets on a monthly basis to monitor and direct the centrally funded Kickz programme team in their strategic and practical support of individual projects and local Kickz partnerships across the country. Examples of the KOG’s various roles include: approval of new clubs/projects, approval of national and regional initiatives/partnerships, quality assurance processes and overseeing the central Kickz budget, which supplements support to each individual scheme through the likes of training, monitoring systems and regional/national events. In addition to representatives from the KSG partners, the Football League Trust are also present on the KOG so that each of the programmes’ member clubs are represented. Other central partners: Partners that have made significant contributions to the development of Kickz by providing funding and/or expertise in their respective specialist areas include: The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), v (the national youth volunteering charity), The Brit Trust/British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Home Office. In addition formal links also include The Prince’s Trust, the Greater London Authority (GLA), The FA and Nike. Kickz is also an official charity of Wembley Stadium and works with a number of other national initiatives such as the Department of Health’s RU Thinking sexual health campaign.

3 Regional/national & networks: The common Kickz framework and delivery model allows best practice and ideas to be shared across the increasingly significant regional and national network of projects. This is not only facilitated by the central Kickz team through networking meetings and national events/initiatives, but has also become common practice between clubs, projects and partners. The national Kickz ‘workforce’ has therefore benefited significantly as the scale of the programme has increased, making use of shared knowledge, expertise and opportunities. Examples range from sharing experience of the most effective ‘flexible’ sessions and workshops, to delivering friendly fixtures and leagues between clubs and projects, as a way of giving young people opportunities beyond their local community and improving relationships between ‘rival’ areas.

4 Local partnerships/project steering groups: Kickz is managed centrally by a programme team based at the Football Foundation and the Metropolitan Police for projects in London. However, importantly, Kickz is delivered locally by professional football clubs’ community teams and local steering groups, who should jointly ‘own’ and guide the individual project’s strategic direction. Local project steering groups typically include: Police safer neighbourhood teams, various local authority agencies including youth services, youth offending teams, leisure/sports services, housing providers and any other relevant local or regional groups. Local partnerships are considered essential in terms of sharing relevant information, offering delivery expertise in specialist areas and allowing projects the flexibility to address relevant issues within the communities in which they are based. Local partnerships make use of their own networks to involve other groups at relevant times e.g. local Primary Care Trusts to deliver specialist health messages. In shaping projects to address local needs, each partner should link the delivery of the Kickz sessions to their local policy needs, targets and action plans. “I’m a big fan of the Kickz programme and in Manchester it has made some real inroads into reducing crime and anti-social behaviour in some of the more challenging areas of the city. Manchester’s Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership is based upon strong partnership foundations, and the Kickz initiative has not only given real direction and opportunities to young people across the city, but also understands that we can only start to solve some of our more pressing issues by working together.”Paul Cullen, Manchester City Council. (Manchester City Kickz).

National KickzSteering Group

National Kickz Operational Group and partners

Regional/national networks

Local partnerships and project steering groups x 59

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1.4.2Local partnerships

Since their inception, Kickz projects have committed to the development of positive new local partnerships. To help demonstrate this, it is useful to assess the number and range of partnerships entered into by Kickz projects over the past two reporting periods.

These figures clearly demonstrate the large number of local partnerships that sit behind and guide individual Kickz projects. They also show the significant growth in partnership working across the programme since the last reporting period. The total number of partners has more than trebled, and in certain cases growth has been even more intense. There has been a fourfold increase in the number of partnerships with local authorities (in general), along with their youth services and sport and leisure departments. A total of 59 local authorities are involved with the programme including all 32 London boroughs. The number of police partnerships cited within local reports trebled to 96, which primarily includes local safer neighbourhood teams from across 17 police force areas. The number of partnerships with Primary Care Trusts and other health agencies increased by five times and housing partners more than trebled.

“This effective partnership with The Metropolitan Police, Youth Offending Team, safer neighbourhood team, Youth Service, Community Safety, Leyton Orient, Arsenal and Hackney Homes has proved a great success. Communication has played an important part…and the links we have formed have brought different cultures together including the Muslim and Jewish community.”Jackie Loftus, Hackney Homes

“Working with the Sunderland AFC Foundation on the Kickz project has had a dramatic effect on one of our estates where instances of crime and anti-social behaviour were causing problems for both ourselves and the Police. Through the delivery of groundbreaking, innovative activities, never seen before in Chester-le-Street, the Kickz project is really starting to change young peoples’ lives and is having a positive effect on the wider community.”Paul Stephens, Cestria Community Housing Association

Partner Kickz Report 2008 Kickz Report 2009

Fire Service 3 9

Football clubs/community schemes

25 39

Football Foundation/Premier League

25 39

Housing or regeneration depts/organisations

13 42

Local Authorities (general)

10 59

Local Authorities (sport and leisure)

8 38

Local Authorities(ASB/crime/safety)

10 33

Local sports/community clubs/facilities

11 36

Local youth projects/interventions

20 49

National youth funders/organisations

2 31

Other 15 18

Police 30 96

Primary Care Trusts/health/ONgs

5 20

Schools/education sector

9 31

YOTs/YIPs/YISPs 19 42

Youth Services/Connexions

20 71

Total 225 653

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1.4.3Local partner roles

Kickz project partners contribute to strategy and delivery in a variety of ways. From the outset this includes sharing information and knowledge to deliver the projects in the right places and at the right times, along with ensuring that young people and specific individuals or groups in the target communities, are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities available. The representatives ensure that solutions are joined up and complement other work in the area. This may come simply in the form of consultation and advice, or be extended to provision of specific expertise or in-kind support in areas such as youth work, health, substance misuse and crime/anti-social behaviour. Prime target audiences are engaged that each of the partners are keen to positively influence, often involving a range of themes and messages. Kickz projects provide a perfect vehicle for general positive activity and a trusted environment where difficult messages can be conveyed and are well received. Local steering groups provide forums to monitor progress, quality assurance, deal with problems and aim for continuous improvement to complement local strategies and targets.

1.5 Funding

1.5.1Primary/Core Funding

Along with in-kind contributions, additional funding has also been secured from a range of sources to supplement the programme’s delivery. This includes significant donations from the Brit Trust to develop music related opportunities for young people and Home Office funding to deliver an anti-knife crime campaign.

1.5.2Local Match Funding

To act as a catalyst to introduce the overall programme and establish individual projects in the target communities, the majority of Kickz projects to date received 100% central funding, for at least one year. The Kickz funding model was designed to be sustainable and now sees a requirement for at least 50% local match funding to maintain project delivery. This approach of gaining local buy in further cements projects into the local infrastructure and strengthens partners’ ownership, particularly as partners can write Kickz into local relevant strategies for youth provision, anti-social behaviour etc. Therefore, along with the general development of projects, local steering groups and partnerships have a key role to play in the sustainability of schemes.

As part of the central funding package announced in September 2007, a Kickz Innovation Fund (KIF) was also used by some clubs to grow the number of projects they deliver. This catalyst funding gave a one off central grant of 50% of project costs, for one year, on the condition that those projects would be solely sustained from local/other funding sources thereafter. More recently a number of 100% locally funded project bids have been approved by the central Kickz Operational Group.

KEY MESSAGE:Partnership working is fundamental to the Kickz ethos at all levels. Nationally, the programme benefits from high profile support across a range of sectors including Football, Police and Government – the primary national partners include the Football Foundation, Premier League and Metropolitan Police (who link to the Association of Chief Police Officers and hence other police forces across the country). The programme has also developed an impressive network of over 650 local partners, including multiple departments within local authorities and police safer neighbourhood teams. This allows projects to effectively adapt to local needs and address a wide range of social issues through joined up solutions, joint partnership, partner expertise and influence.

Following a successful pilot programme, the three year central investment package below was announced in September 2007. So far, the overall programme value, over 3 years, is over £13.1m.

£4.71 million Football Foundation.

£3 million Metropolitan Police.

£1 million through the DCMS from the Premier League’s Good Causes fund.

£350k from the youth volunteering charity v, matched by £350k from the Premier League.

Local match funding of over £3.7m has also been secured to date.

Local match/partnership funding to date:

2008 Annual Report: £361,500

2009 Annual Report: £3,348,500

Total: £3,710,000

1 - The K


15

“The Kickz programme has been a great success within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, where involvement of the whole community is visible and takes place on a regular basis. The young people have an immense amount of fun…and the process enables cohesion amongst the community. Within Tower Hamlets Kickz is being delivered in two areas known to be hotspots for youth related crime and high levels of youth on youth violence. The Kickz programme has attracted 100s of young people aged between 12–18yrs.

“The liaison between community third sector groups and the Kickz programme is really supporting young people. The key to success is the dedication of all involved in the Kickz programme and the ample fun of young people.”Dinar Hossain, Head of Youth Service, London Borough of Tower Hamlets (Match funding providers for

the two Kickz projects in the borough run by West Ham and Leyton Orient)

“I am proud that Merseyside Police is part of this excellent programme, and that the Merseyside Police Authority is contributing to sustain the scheme. “Kickz adds to an overall strategy to address crime and anti-social behaviour in key areas of the city. It is also designed to provide opportunities for young people to interact with Police staff on positive terms, giving the opportunity to help break down any potential barriers. “Solutions to local issues are strengthened by working together, and I was pleased to see that the Safer Knowsley Partnership recently acknowledged the Everton/Liverpool Kickz partners for their contribution to crime and disorder reduction.”Deputy Chief Constable Bernard Lawson, Merseyside Police (pictured below)

“If you ever needed evidence of how sport can reach out and help young people then Kickz is it. It shows how football can work in the community to reduce crime and give young people hope of a better life. “It also brings people together, which is why I am delighted to see that my club Everton and Liverpool have joined forces.”Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham (Now Secretary of State for Health)

(pictured below)

KEY MESSAGE:By uniting behind shared projects, local partners involved in Kickz are helping to avoid short-term delivery cycles and individualist approaches. They are getting value for money through match funding arrangements, access to the Kickz programme network and associated brands. Accompanying benefits also include: central project management support and quality assurance checks, an advanced monitoring tool, bespoke training packages and regional/national events. Over £9.4m in central funding has been pledged and the amount of local match/partnership funding is continually rising, with over £3.7m allocated already.

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2.0 Measuring Progress and Impact– Growth, expansion and consolidationSince the programme launch in 2006, Kickz projects have been carefully monitoring their delivery via the programme’s comprehensive online monitoring and evaluation system. In this section, national statistics are presented to provide an indication of the growth of the programme over the past three years. Analysis of the scope, performance and quality of provision is also provided – this is done for both programme participants and volunteers. In some cases, particularly where there is a concentration of Kickz projects in a specific region or police force area, additional data has been provided to demonstrate regional trends.

2 - Measuring Progress and Im

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th, expansion and consolidation

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2.1Participants: delivery and attendance

2.1.1Introduction

Kickz has grown rapidly since its successful initial pilot projects began between April and June 2006. In September 2006, following government investment, a national expansion to 25 clubs and 32 projects took place. Following continued progress, major investment in September 2007 saw existing projects sustained and major expansion over the following year.

Having gained such confidence in the programme, a substantial investment from the Metropolitan Police (£3m over three years) was matched by the Football Foundation to roll out two projects to each of the 32 London boroughs. Delivery partnerships were developed with each of London’s 32 local authorities2, relevant local partners, safer neighbourhood police teams and all 14 professional football clubs in the capital. Innovation funding was also made available for clubs across the rest of the country to bid for and extend the number of projects they deliver.

Funding from the DCMS via the Premier League’s Good Causes fund, allowed a further eight clubs to be added to the programme in September 2008. This saw the total number of clubs reach 39 and number of projects exceed the 100 target, set in the previous annual report. Currently there are a total of 110 projects being delivered nationally.

The pace of growth levelled out through the first quarter of 2009, allowing the programme a period of relative consolidation, although, as is detailed later in this report, the quality of provision was impressively maintained despite the challenging growth targets.

2.1.2Programme growth 2006-2009

There have been key periods of growth, including the six month period between the start of October 2007 and the end of March 2008, where the number of Kickz projects increased by 126% (from 31 projects to 70), with the number of project sites and participants increasing by similar proportions. In the period since March 2008, the programme has continued to experience significant growth seeing the number of projects rise by a further 51% and participants rise by 137%.

2 This does not include the City of London who is represented by its own Police force and not the Met.

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Kickz growth 2006-09: number of projects and project sites

Kickz growth 2006-09: young people engaged

Number of project sites

Number of projects

Number of young people

1818

Northumbria

Lancashire

Merseyside

Greater Manchester

South Yorkshire

Humberside

Derbyshire

Staffordshire

West Midlands

Thames Valley

Greater LondonAuthority


Essex

MetropolitanMetropolitan

Sussex

Hampshire

Devon & Cornwall

Nottinghamshire

Norfolk

Durham

Cleveland

Sussex

Devon & Cornwall

Started 2006-07

Started 2007-08

Started 2008-09

Police force area with

Kickz provision

Project site locations

Location of Kickz project delivery sites until May 2009 and regional police force areas covered to date

Note:At the time of writing, Humbersideand Staffordshire police had impending projects expected to begin with Hull City and Stoke City respectively. More recently approved projects are not yet plotted on the map.


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19*The Everton/Liverpool and Notts County/Nottingham Forest projects are delivered jointly

Brand Power – 2008/09 season Kickz club logos and current project numbers

18

Northumbria

Lancashire

Merseyside

Greater Manchester

South Yorkshire

Humberside

Derbyshire

Staffordshire

West Midlands

Thames Valley



Essex

MetropolitanMetropolitan

Sussex

Hampshire

Devon & Cornwall

Nottinghamshire

Norfolk

Durham

Cleveland

Sussex

Devon & Cornwall

Started 2006-07

Started 2007-08

Started 2008-09

Police force area with

Kickz provision

Project site locations

Location of Kickz project delivery sites until May 2009 and regional police force areas covered to date

Note:At the time of writing, Humbersideand Staffordshire police had impending projects expected to begin with Hull City and Stoke City respectively. More recently approved projects are not yet plotted on the map.

20

2.1.3Detailed growth analysis: the national picture

To present a more detailed analysis of the programme’s growth, the table below shows data relating to the scale of delivery achieved by projects nationally in three annual report periods. These run from 1 June to 31 May each year.

The ‘All’ figures in the table are correct as of 31 May 2009.

Since the programme’s launch, Kickz projects nationally have successfully engaged over 25,000 young people (a figure which had increased to over 30,000 at the time of going to press). Of these, close to 20,000 – or 80% of all participants – attended sessions in the twelve month period June 2008 to May 2009. This is a successful level of retention at a time of significant programme expansion, especially when the full range of reasons for the small programme ‘drop off ’ are considered. The development of multiple positive exit routes for participants is at the heart of the Kickz delivery model, and many participants who have now left the programme have done so because they have moved on through structured forms of progression or gone beyond the target age range for Kickz.

In terms of the programme expansion, the information above shows that:

• The number of young people engaged by Kickz nearly trebled in 2007-08 and increased by a further 55% in 2008-09

• Aggregate contact hours more than trebled in 2007-08 and increased by close to 60% in 2008-09

• The number of sessions delivered increased by nearly four times in 2007-08 and almost doubled in 2008-09.

Retaining quality while expanding

Having experienced such growth, it has been important for the Kickz project team to continue to monitor the quality of provision delivered by projects. Most crucially, it has been vital to ensure it remains more than a conventional sports development programme, delivering activities to large numbers of young people over short periods of time. As was mentioned in last year’s progress report, Kickz advocates a departure from this model and instead focuses on retaining participants’ engagement over long periods. This is crucial for the programme’s core mission to develop constructive relationships with participants: relationships which allow project staff to move beyond the delivery of football to discuss challenging social and developmental messages with participants.

Given this context, it is notable that the expansion of Kickz appears to have in no way undermined the quality of provision. In 2006-07 the programme achieved an average contact hours with participants of 32 hours. In 2007-08, despite the significant programme growth outlined above, the figure rose to 38 hours and increased again in 2007-08 to 39 hours for the year. This shows that projects have collectively retained their focus on engaging participants regularly and consistently. At the time of going to press, for the 30,000+ young people who have engaged with the programme, the average number of contact hours per participant had reached 60 hours in total.

To further demonstrate the continuing quality of Kickz projects’ retention of young people, it is also useful to analyse the number of young people who have attended sessions for more than 50, 75 and 100 hours respectively.

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 All

Number of football clubs

25 31 39 39

Number of Kickz projects

27 80 106 106

Number of local authority areas

25 48 58 58

Number of Regional Police Force areas

9 11 17 17

Total number of young people engaged

4,490 12,883 19,990 25,301

Aggregate contact hours with young

144,734 488,605 779,127 1,412,512

Average contact hours

32 38 39 56

KEY MESSAGE: Since the programme pilot projects were launched three years ago, Kickz has grown dramatically especially during the period 2007-08. The programme has significantly exceeded all of its growth targets. At the time of going to press, 39 professional football clubs and their partners had engaged over 30,000 young people, at 110 projects, located in 17 different police force and within 59 local authority boundaries. Each of the participants had been engaged for an average of over 60 hours and a total of 1.8 million aggregate contact hours had been delivered.

KEY MESSAGE: At a time of significant programme expansion, the quality of provision has been enhanced with best practice shared across the programme. This is reflected in the average contact hours that young people have engaged with projects, which has increased year on year. Subsequently, Kickz projects have seen a collective increase in the percentage of young people completing 50, 75 and 100 hours of contact with the programme per annum.

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 All

Attended 50 or more hours

865 (19%)

3,070 (24%)

5,311 (27%)

8,045 (32%)


568 (13%)

2,005 (16%)

3,546 (18%)

5,982 (24%)


365(8%)

1,315 (10%)

2,325 (12%)

4,556 (18%)


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2.1.4Detailed growth analysis:Greater London

With all 14 professional clubs delivering Kickz in the region, and with the rapid development of two projects in each of the capital’s 32 boroughs, it is useful to separately analyse programme growth in Greater London.

The table below shows data relating to the scale of delivery achieved by Kickz projects across the capital.

By the end of May 2009 London Kickz projects had engaged close to 16,000 participants and had delivered more than one million contact hours. The numbers of young people engaged had risen to over 17,250 at the time of going to press. Of the young people engaged, 80% attended sessions in the twelve months between June 2008 and May 2009.

In terms of programme expansion, the London data shows that:

• There was a fourfold increase in the number of young people engaged by London projects in 2007-08 and a 61% rise in 2008-09

• Aggregate contact hours more than trebled in 2007-08 and nearly doubled in 2008-09

• There was a fourfold increase in the number of sessions delivered in 2006-07 and a doubling in 2008-09.

As you would expect with the investment of Kickz in London, growth in the capital has been even more intense than that seen nationally.

Given the scale of programme expansion in London, it is especially noteworthy that the quality of provision has not only been maintained, but has improved. Average contact hours per participant in London rose from 42 in 2007-08 to 46 in 2008-09.

KEY MESSAGE: Since 2006, the Kickz programme has experienced particularly intense growth in London. All 14 professional football clubs in the capital are involved with 69 projects being delivered across all 32 boroughs. By the end of May 2009, London based Kickz projects had engaged close to 16,000 young people and had delivered over one million aggregate contact hours. London Kickz projects have collectively seen a rise in average contact time with the percentage of participants achieving 50, 75 and 100 hours of contact rising slightly above the average for the rest of the country.

London 06-07

London 07-08

London 08-09

All London

Number of football clubs

12 14 14 14


15 61 69 69

Number of local authority areas delivered in

12 32 32 32

Number of young people engaged

2,011 7,763 12,483 15,799

Aggregate contact hours with young people

91,866 329,257 570,546 1,030,996


46 42 46 65

London 06-07

London 07-08

London 08-09

All London

Attended 50 or more hours (percentage)

528 (26%)

2,050 (27%)

3,664 (29%)

5,361 (34%)


376 (19%)

1,372 (18%)

2,501 (20%)

4,070 (26%)


293 (15%)

917 (12%)

1,688 (14%)

3,127 (20%)

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2.1.5Comparative detailed analysis of other regions

To conclude this subsection, it is useful to reflect on the scale of Kickz provision in a selection of other areas nationally. For the purposes of this exercise a data table for projects within Greater Manchester is provided as a point of comparison.

In the largest police force areas outside of London (Greater Manchester, Merseyside and West Midlands) positive trends have also occurred:

• The number of people engaged across Greater Manchester nearly doubled in 2007-08 and increased by 19% in 2008-09. There was a fourfold increase in contact hours in 2007-08 and an increase of 41% in 2008-09.

• In Merseyside, the number of participants has remained relatively consistent in the past twelve months (only increasing considerably in 2007-08), but the programme has seen a 9% increase in the aggregate number of contact hours delivered in 2008-09.

• In the West Midlands the number of participants more than doubled in 2007-08 and rose by nearly a quarter in 2008-09. The aggregate number of contact hours more than doubled in 2007-08, but fell slightly in 2008-09.

2.2.2Slowing the pace of growth in projects – consolidation and quality assurance

Following major investment and programme growth over a three year period, the pace of the increase in the number of projects has slowed since December 2008. It has been recognised that quality of provision has not been negatively affected during the period of rapid expansion, but has in fact improved.

With increased scale has come significant opportunity to share best practice and expertise between projects and clubs. The period of relative consolidation has been considered healthy for the programme as a whole. It has allowed a focus on continuous improvement and quality assurance across the now considerable Kickz network. In addition, the opportunity has been taken to implement initiatives and events on a regional and national basis, which enhance each individual project’s offer to young people and provide outcomes to participants and the community.

Steady, managed growth in projects has still continued. In late 2008, Kickz was extended into new towns and cities through the introduction of eight new clubs3 to deliver single projects. Within some existing Kickz clubs4, additional projects have also been added in 2009, where clubs and partners with capacity to grow have built on the success of original projects and accessed local funding to add others in the town/city.

Manchester 06-07

Manchester 07-08

Manchester 08-09

All Manchester

Number of clubs 4 4 5 5


4 6 8 8

Number of young people engaged

873 1,725 2,057 2,811

Aggregate contact hours with young people

16,760 65,258 91,695 191,194


19 38 45 68

KEY MESSAGE: Growth in the number of projects has also occurred in regions outside of London, although at a more modest rate. Positive statistical trends in engagement have still continued including numbers of young people engaged and the average contact hours per young person. For instance, in Greater Manchester alone, almost 200,000 contact hours had been delivered by the end of May 2009, with over 2,800 young people engaged in the programme, each for an average of 68 hours.

3 This included Brighton and Hove Albion, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest/Notts County (joint project), Oldham Athletic, Plymouth Argyle, Southampton and Southend United. 4 At the time of going to press this has included Norwich City, Nottingham Forest/Notts County, Sheffield United and Tottenham Hotspur.


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23

2.3Participants: demographics

Kickz projects have continued to monitor a number of key demographic indicators for participants. Three indicators – age, ethnicity and gender – are presented for the period 2008-09.

The information identifies general, national and regional trends within the overall programme cohort.5 Where relevant, examples from individual clubs/projects are also included.

At the stats census date, the male/female ratio below was evident. At the time of going to print the total number of girls engaged with the programme had risen to 4,527 and the proportion of girls involved in the programme was continuing to increase to over 15%.

The data captured presents a demographic profile of Kickz participants not dissimilar to that outlined in the first programme report in 2008. Across the programme, the majority of participants are male and just over half are aged 15 or above. This indicates that Kickz is working primarily with the section of the youth population most commonly associated with higher offending rates (especially in relation to offences such as assault, buying stolen goods, theft and criminal damage). More generally, it is also engaging those young people who are considered to be most exposed to important risk factors associated with pathways into crime and anti-social behaviour.8

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

19 and older

17 and 18

15 and 16

13 and 14

11 and 12

Kickz participants 2008-096: age (%)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

All OtherBackgrounds

All WhiteBackgrounds

All MixedBackgrounds

All Black or BlackBritish Backgrounds

All Asian or AsianBritish Backgrounds

Kickz participants 2008-097: ethnicity (%)

5 The graphs, tables and data below show data based on young people for whom demographic information was collected successfully. Gender data was for the complete cohort.6 Number = 16,9727 Number = 16,4048 Communities that Care (2005) Risk and Protective Factors (London: Youth Justice Board)

All 2008-09

Male 86%

Female 14%

KEY MESSAGE: In 2008-09, there was an even distribution curve across the Kickz age range (12-18yrs), with the majority of Kickz participants being male and aged between 13 and 16. In relation to many other similar programmes, Kickz has notable success in engaging older teenage participants: those more likely to be disengaged from organised sport, whilst also being subject to risk factors associated with crime and anti-social behaviour.

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2.3.1Engaging girls

The previous Kickz annual report acknowledged that the gender balance amongst Kickz participants is not surprising given the traditional understanding of football related activities as ‘male preserves’. Furthermore, while some Kickz projects have enjoyed immediate success in engaging significant numbers of young women from the outset (including playing football), a common trend has seen the percentage of girls involved in projects increase over a longer period of time. In many cases, despite boys and girls being invited via the initial promotional literature, successful recruitment of young women has come about after staff have engaged in further outreach work, communicating and consulting directly with local young women to adapt projects based on their feedback and challenge incorrect assumptions that projects are in place just for boys. Delivery staff often report that girls may initially hang around at sessions and while not officially taking part, they still engage in constructive conversations. For some this may actually be all they are looking for, i.e. a safe place to talk and hang out with friends. However, what is also encouraging, is that increasing numbers of projects are having success in engaging these and other local young women as Kickz becomes embedded within the community.

The experience outlined above has been evident in national statistical trends, whereby with rapid expansion of the programme during 2007 and 2008, the percentage of young women engaged in the programme dipped to almost 10%. However, since the pace of growth in projects numbers has slowed, the figures have begun to rise to current levels whereby over 15% of Kickz participants are female – a total of 4,527.

The central Kickz programme team has identified that there is clearly scope for ongoing improvement and, at regional networking meetings throughout 2009, has highlighted best practice examples from some clubs. A number of clubs are now recording over 20%

overall registrations from young women including: Bolton Wanderers, Charlton Athletic, Millwall, Portsmouth, Plymouth Argyle, Southend United, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion. Some clubs running multiple projects are seeing significant variations from one project location to another, highlighting that some individual projects have found it difficult to engage young women despite proactive strategies being implemented.

Engaging young women – club examples

General examples of clubs adapting to further engage young women include:

• Providing girls only football sessions, where girls have expressed a desire to have separate sessions to boys.

• Entering a variety of football tournaments and developing links with other Kickz clubs to increase the amount of competitive fixtures available for girls.

• Developing youth forums and feedback opportunities which target young women specifically.

• Providing a wide variety of alternative provision, often involving health and fitness links. In some cases this involves young women exclusively, however many of the activities are for mixed groups, including the sessions that may stereotypically be assumed to be for girls. Examples of activities offered include: street dance, boxercise, music/performance sessions, yoga, fitness circuits and a range of healthy lifestyle tutorials such as healthy eating, cooking and sexual health workshops.

• Developing bespoke promotional material to advertise sessions targeted at girls.

• There have also been notable increases in female staff involved in delivering Kickz activities and undertaking roles as Kickz project coordinators. Local partners are also assisting in this area where possible.


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Case Study: Middlesbrough first team player launches new girls activities

Boro defender David Wheater (pictured above) made a guest appearance at the launch of a Kickz initiative at Pallister Park Community Centre, which was organised in partnership with Middlesbrough College and Coatham Memorial Boxing Club.

The event featured professionals promoting boxercise and also a range of health and beauty treatments provided by students from Middlesbrough College.

“I love the idea of the Kickz programme for local youngsters as I have always believed that football is a great medium through which we can communicate with and inspire those difficult to reach learners. Middlesbrough College is really excited about being involved in the project and will offer beauty therapy treatments to the girls who follow their friends on the Kickz programme. (If they don’t want to play football), ‘a something for everyone’ approach means that not just the boys can be involved. If we can help these youngsters to feel good about themselves then the project will have been worthwhile.”Lynne Alderson, Director of Programme (Hairdressing, Beauty and Complementary Therapies),

Middlesbrough College

“This is a great opportunity for the girls who live around the Pallister Park area to see the different activities that they can engage in other than sport. Having the Middlesbrough College staff and students at the event is giving them a first hand opportunity to see the career pathways which they can go down, which could even lead to them enrolling at the college itself.”Chris Hooker, Middlesbrough Kickz Co-ordinator

Case Study: Pompey in the Community’s girls engagement strategy

Having achieved 24% female engagement, Portsmouth Kickz coach Charlotte Bishop presented their approach to other clubs/projects at a regional networking meeting. She highlighted the need for consultation and involvement on their youth forum, along with assessing opportunities/providers in the local area and discussing options with local partners such as schools, colleges, the council and The FA. Health advice, accreditation opportunities and a variety of activities including football, yoga and trampolining were seen as major tools for engagement, along with rewards for loyalty and potential exit routes e.g. links are being made with Portsmouth FC Ladies team and the University. A core group of older girls have been engaged and they are also set to target the younger age group specifically.

“I enjoy all the training sessions as it gives us a chance to talk, train and enjoy ourselves. Kickz has not only improved my playing ability but has boosted my confidence.”Amber Johnson aged 16, Portsmouth Kickz (pictured below left)

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Case Study: Patricia’s story – from participant, to volunteer, to employment with QPR in Brent

The story of 19 year old Patricia from the St Raphael’s Estate in Brent, demonstrates how Kickz projects are increasingly encouraging young women to make a positive contribution to their community. She began attending Kickz around 3 years ago as a participant on the sessions. She was well respected in the area and the first female participant. The coaching staff encouraged Patricia to help out with simple things such as setting out pitches with cones etc. She continued to volunteer and worked with the QPR staff in observing sessions and was slowly given more responsibility.

Kickz has invested in Patricia’s potential and gained access for her to an Advanced Apprenticeship at NVQ level 3. Patricia was recognised as QPR’s Kickz volunteer of the year at the national Kickz Awards at Wembley Stadium and was presented with an exclusive framed certificate by former QPR and England legend Les Ferdinand. Patricia is now in paid employment with QPR and is using her experience to deliver coaching sessions in a number of community sessions in Brent.

“If I wasn’t at Kickz I would have been hanging round on the streets on Thursdays and Fridays. I come here to see friends and I enjoy chatting and hanging out. I particularly enjoyed the trip to the London Eye and seeing England U21s. At Kickz, I like trampolining and gym work. Kickz is also a good place because there is no bullying and everyone can feel safe. I often have to look after my younger brother, and Kickz is good because I can look after him and he gets to play football. It also means that I am free to see friends here knowing my brother is safe.”Emma age 16, Tottenham Hotspur Kickz (Enfield)

KEY MESSAGE: Higher male participation is not surprising, given the popularity of football and with offending rates among young men being more pronounced. However Kickz has also engaged over 4,500 young women to date and increasing numbers of clubs are recording over 20% female participation. Following rapid expansion of the programme the overall female percentage dipped but has since bounced back, climbing to above 15%. Best practice is being shared across the Kickz network with projects adapting to suit the needs and specific requests of girls in each area and trends have young women engage with projects over a period of time.


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2.3.2Ethnicity

The data shows that the largest group of participants nationally are from White backgrounds. However, it should be noted that close to half of participants are from backgrounds other than White (with the largest number coming from Black backgrounds): an indication of the ethnic diversity encouraged by Kickz.

Of course, the ethnic profile of Kickz participants around the country varies greatly according to the ethnic profile of the areas in which projects are being delivered. In Greater London (a region of significant ethnic diversity) the percentage of participants from minority ethnic backgrounds is higher than that seen nationally, with only two in five participants coming from White backgrounds. In the West Midlands, there are especially high numbers of young people from minority ethnic backgrounds, with fewer than 37% coming from White backgrounds.

The Blackburn Rovers Kickz project also provides evidence of the ethnic diversity of Kickz. In 2008-09, 40% of participants were from Asian backgrounds. This compares to the ethnic profile of the local population where 21% of people are from Asian backgrounds (according to the 2001 census).

In many other areas of the country, on account of low levels of ethnic diversity in local populations, the vast majority of participants are from White backgrounds. In Sunderland, for instance, 94% of participants in 2008-09 were from White backgrounds (compared to 97% of the local population). In Liverpool, 90% of participants were from White backgrounds in 2008-09 (compared to 92% of the local population).

The graph below shows a breakdown of ethnicity in the largest police force areas in order to visually demonstrate the differences between areas and standing against the national average of all Kickz projects.

Kickz projects are geographically targeted and so aim to engage young people who are representative of the local community. Diversity issues are raised with local steering group partners, particularly if any groups are under-represented. In many cases Kickz acts as an opportunity for young people to meet others from different towns, cities, backgrounds and cultures. For example, Derby County brought clubs from around the country together to take part in a tournament celebrating diversity as part of the One Game, One Community week of action.

KEY MESSAGE: Kickz participants nationally are from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. At the local level, the ethnic profile of participants reflects the makeup of the local population. A number of clubs and partners are organising campaigns, activities and events to help celebrate diversity, particularly in areas where problems or tensions between groups exist. The sizeable Kickz network gives young people the opportunity to meet others from different areas and improve relationships.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%






Kickz participants 2008-09: ethnicity (%)

9 Number = 16,40410 Number = 10,051

All National 2008-099

London 2008-0910

Manchester 2008-0911

Merseyside 2008-0912

West Midlands 2008-0913

11 Number = 1,66212 Number = 336 13 Number = 1,350

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Case Study: Birmingham City, Longbridge Kickz, Anti-Racism Camp

In recent years, the area (very close to the Kickz delivery site) made headlines for some very negative reasons. An all white gang of young men were all subject to ASBOs following a series of violent racist assaults and criminal damage. The predominantly white area also had one of the highest rates of reported racially motivated crime in the West Midlands. The issue was discussed with both the local police and constituency workers. Positive action was taken as Birmingham City Kickz held a two day anti-racism camp. White participants from one site attended with mixed groups of predominantly young black men from more diverse parts of Birmingham. The structured programme carefully integrated the groups together and culminated in mixed teams and new friendships. One of the young people said:

“Playing with the others from Lozells was really good, some of them are brilliant players, loads of skill. I’ve never really spoken to many people outside of the area and only know one or two black people in my area. We’ve all swapped numbers and I’m going to try and keep in touch with a few of them.”

2.4Participants: geography and deprivation

In addition to recording participants’ demographic profiles, Kickz projects have also continued to monitor where participants live. This is done primarily because Kickz is an area-based intervention, focused on taking activities and opportunities to young people living in areas suffering from higher rates of crime, anti-social behaviour and deprivation.

To provide an indication of the success of Kickz in targeting interventions geographically, the following graph shows programme participants engaged since 2006, split by their location in relation to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2007. The IMD is the most widely accepted and authoritative measure of deprivation across England. It reports (at the level of lower super output areas) on seven forms of deprivation which can be recognised and measured separately. These are: income deprivation; employment deprivation, health deprivation and disability; education; skills and training deprivation; barriers to housing and services; living environment deprivation and crime.

The overall national data in the graph above illustrates that close to a third of Kickz participants nationally live in the 10% most deprived locations in England, with three-quarters living in the 30% most deprived areas.

As indicated on the next page, in many areas of the country the concentration of participants in deprived areas is even more pronounced.

NationalKickz participants 2006-09: split by IMD 2007 ranking (where 0%-10% is most deprived)14

RegionalKickz participants 2006-09: split by IMD 2007 ranking (where 0%-10% is most deprived)

14 Number = 16,95015 Number = 16,950

16 Number = 9,73517 Number = 1,264

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

90% - 100%

80% - 90%

70% - 80%

60% - 70%

50% - 60%

40% - 50%

30% - 40%

20% - 30%

30% - 20%

0% - 10%


London 2008-0916

Manchester 2008-0917

Merseyside 2008-0918

West Midlands 2008-0919

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

90% - 100%

80% - 90%

70% - 80%

60% - 70%

50% - 60%

40% - 50%

30% - 40%

20% - 30%

30% - 20%

0% - 10%

18 Number = 42519 Number = 1,589


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At regional level, in Greater Manchester and Merseyside, over 90% of participants live in the 30% most deprived areas nationally. In the West Midlands, the figure is 84%. In London, whilst over two-thirds of participants do live in the 30% most deprived areas, the performance of projects in targeting provision at deprived young people is slightly lower than elsewhere in the programme. This is a result of a series of factors including:

• The peculiarly dense geography of London which means that less deprived neighbourhoods frequently sit adjacent to areas suffering from multiple forms of social disadvantage

• The crime and anti-social behaviour ‘hotspots’ in London which exist in some of the ‘less deprived’ areas

• The required growth of Kickz across all 32 London Boroughs whereby some are more deprived than others, although all have hotspot areas for crime and anti-social behaviour.

2.4.1Multiple deprivation maps – project and participant locations

The geographic profile of Kickz participants in London, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and the West Midlands are further illustrated in the maps below and overleaf. Allowing for the scale of the maps, individual ‘dots’, which represent participants, often actually represent multiple young people living in close proximity to one another.

Club/project Percentage of participants in top 30% most deprived areas

Blackburn Rovers 79%

Derby County 76%

Middlesbrough 99%

Nottingham Forest/Notts County

88%

Plymouth 87%

Sheffield United 89%

Kickz venues

Kickz participants

Participant(s) from 2006-07



Level of deprived area

London

30

Birmingham

Liverpool

Kickz venues

Kickz participants





Kickz venues

Kickz participants





NB. Allowing for the scale of the maps, individual ‘dots’, which represent participants, often actually represent multiple young people living in close proximity to one another.


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These maps illustrate a number of key points relating to the delivery of Kickz. Firstly, they show that the vast majority of programme participants live in close proximity to the delivery venues used by projects. This is notable because it demonstrates that Kickz is succeeding in engaging young people in target neighbourhoods. Furthermore, it also shows that the programme – without necessarily refusing young people access to activities – is maintaining focus and preventing projects from being ‘colonised’ by young people from outside target neighbourhoods.

Secondly, the maps show the variability of the growth models adopted by Kickz in different areas of the country. The London map shows that, in addition to working with greater numbers of young people in the original (2006-07) project locations, the programme has also spread consistently into new areas across the capital, engaging new local young people along the way. In other areas of the country, growth has been based more (although by no means exclusively) on engaging new participants in existing locations, mainly as a result of the more modest growth strategy adopted outside the capital.

Lastly, and potentially most importantly, the maps illustrate that where there has been programme growth, this has continued to be primarily in areas of high deprivation. Even in London where numerous projects have been established in entirely new locations over the past two years, the young people engaged by those projects continue to be drawn mainly from areas experiencing high levels of multiple deprivation. Indeed, it is worth mentioning that the percentage of participants engaged by Kickz between 2006 and 2008 who live in the top 30% most deprived areas (75%) compares well with the percentage of participants engaged in the most recent period (69%).

KEY MESSAGE: Kickz projects have maintained focus on taking projects to target neighbourhoods; those suffering from high levels of multiple deprivation and crime and anti-social behaviour. A third of participants live in the top 10% most deprived locations in England, with three quarters in the 30% most deprived areas. The vast majority of participants continue to live in close proximity to venue locations.

Manchester

Kickz venues

Kickz participants





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This information shows that since Kickz began, over 29,000 personal outcomes and qualifications have been achieved by participants. In terms of comparing outcomes and qualifications achieved in 2007-08 and 2008-09, the growth has been remarkable. In 2007-08, a total of 3,742 outcomes and qualification were achieved by Kickz participants. In the following year, the number had leapt to 23,182: more than a six fold increase.

It is undoubtedly the case that in 2007-08, there was general under-reporting of outcomes and qualifications achieved by Kickz participants (due partly to projects’ unfamiliarity with the process developed for recording such information). Even if this was the case however, and allowing for the fact that the number of participants engaged by the programme rose by 55% in 2008-09, the scale of growth outlined is still testament to the increasingly positive developments being made by Kickz participants. That such progress is being made at a time of rapid programme growth is further evidence of the ways in which Kickz has balanced expansion with an equal – if not increasing - emphasis on quality of provision.

2.5Participant outcomes and qualifications

Over the past twelve months, Kickz projects have continued to record statistical information on the personal outcomes and qualifications achieved by participants. The table below shows the range of outcomes and qualifications achieved by Kickz participants nationally in 2007-08, 2008-09 and since the programme began in 2006.20

2007-08 2008-09 All

Outcomes

Attended anti-crime/safety workshop(s) 675 1,654 2,416

Attended specific ‘Be Safe’ anti-weapons/personal safety workshop

n/a 3,184 3,184

Attended personal/social/health development session(s)

163 2,157 2,355

Developed new employability skills 72 124 197

Enrolled on football/sport coaching course 46 86 133

Gained employment/work experience (other than with host football club)

18 41 64

Gained employment with host football club 53 117 170

Improved educational engagement and/or performance

11 98 119

Improved social/teamwork skills 472 5,430 5,903

Made regular significant contributions towards project activities

552 478 1,030

Significant improvement in behaviour 107 2,102 2,211

Significant improvement in confidence/esteem 169 4,030 4,199

Significant improvement in health/physical fitness

105 5,506 5,611

Other/general positive engagement 703 675 1,415

Qualifications

Football qualification/accreditation 272 334 665

Other sport qualification/accreditation 141 208 375

Educational/vocational qualification/accreditation

220 198 447

KEY MESSAGE: Over 29,000 personal outcomes and qualifications have been achieved by Kickz participants since the programme was launched. There has been a significant increase in the number of outcomes and qualifications being achieved in the past twelve months. Almost 1,500 qualifications and accreditations have been achieved to date including over 600 specifically related to football. There were almost 3,200 attendances at anti-weapons related workshops in the last year alone, along with over 5,500 reports of significant improvements in health and physical fitness.

20 It should be noted that figures here are based on the number of outcomes and qualifications achieved, rather than the number of young people achieving each outcome.


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3.0Volunteering – The Kickz pathwayEncouraging volunteering within projects and throughout target neighbourhoods is a primary objective of the programme. To help deliver this, Kickz developed a partnership with v, the national youth volunteering charity. Thanks to a match fund agreement between v and the Premier League this included significant funding support for the programme.

3 - Volunteering - The K

ickz pathway

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3.1Creating a volunteering culture

Kickz aims to embed a culture of volunteering at each project and increase the quantity and quality of volunteering opportunities open to young people. The initial Kickz strategy alluded to ‘home growing’ the deliverers of the future. With over 2,500 of the young people from Kickz getting involved in volunteering activity to date, the programme is clearly helping to provide local role models for other young people in the challenging communities where it is delivered. Impressively, over 170 young people have gone on to gain employment within one of the 39 football clubs/community schemes who run Kickz projects.

What is perhaps most notable is that Kickz provides a vehicle to connect with those who may often prove difficult to engage and educate around the benefits of volunteering. Target groups and areas involved in the initiative incorporate a diverse range of backgrounds and include a high percentage of those who do not usually feature strongly in volunteering. Hundreds of positive case studies now exist across the country including examples of known offenders who are now focused on a positive career path. It is, however, very important not to stereotype the young people involved in Kickz. Indeed, many of the volunteers may simply be growing up in a tough area, have good attitudes and be keen to take advantage of a unique opportunity to contribute within their community.

As well as delivering part of the service offered, young people are likely to have a good knowledge of the local area, along with the needs of other young people. Volunteers themselves benefit from their involvement in a number of ways including: learning new skills, receiving training, gaining qualifications, working with others and boosting their self-esteem/confidence. This development helps to regenerate the areas and aspirations of young people, along with making them more employable.

“Being part of an excellent team, as well as brilliant company, has helped me in more than the obvious way. Before Kickz I had no ambition or aspirations in life, to be frank. Now I have a chance to give back to society in general and the best part of this is being able to use my past experience by helping to guide the youth that are “stuck in a rut”, so to speak.”Nazir, Care Leaver and Volunteer, Manchester United Kickz

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3.2The Kickz volunteering pathway and programme approach

From the outset, the Kickz programme has challenged staff to focus on and think differently about volunteers, including how a culture of volunteering can be developed at each project. In doing so, the positive knock on effects can be seen among the outputs and outcomes for young people, projects and communities as a whole. The following flow chart summarises the volunteering pathway that the Kickz programme champions across the country. It shows how initial interest can be encouraged, harnessed and eventually lead to outcomes such as leading sessions, gaining accreditation and employment.

1. Volunteering foundations – Encouraging ownership, trust and a culture of ‘helping out’

While v’s focus specifically targets young people aged 16-25, the Kickz programme as a whole targets participants aged 12-18 and so an ethos of helping out and more informal volunteering is encouraged within the younger age groups. This sets the foundation for more formal opportunities to be taken up as they get older. By encouraging young people to respect and take ownership of their projects, staff can also challenge negative attitudes and assumptions, which may even be directed to the word ‘volunteering’ itself. By gaining the trust of young people and nurturing initial opportunities to ‘help out’, staff can begin discussions around the benefits of volunteering so that in a young person’s mind, it is not simply about doing something for nothing.

2. Initial involvement – Start simple and rotate opportunities

Staff are encouraged to ‘start simple’, with tasks that begin positive momentum with a young person. This may be particularly effective for younger participants or older, more reluctant, young people. Approaches should not only develop those who show positive attitudes and promising signs of peer leadership, but see opportunities rotated so that all individuals, including those who may simply be more introverted are given the opportunity for personal development through volunteering. In this way, everyone can be given a chance by starting simple and working up from there.

3. Develop a varied menu of opportunities and focus on those aged 16 or above

A wide variety of volunteering opportunities at and beyond sessions have been generated by Kickz projects and their partners. While recognising that one of the most common and popular volunteering roles will include acting as an assistant coach, with warm ups and basic drills etc, the Kickz programme also challenges staff and partners to think on a broader level, allowing those who may not be aspiring coaches to benefit from volunteering too. In particular, projects are encouraged to identify and target participants above

(or approaching) 16 years of age. This age group is not only old enough to be given more responsibility through volunteering, but is also within a key transition phase in their lives, where the benefits of volunteering can be more acutely recognised. This may initially be in the form of intangible, but valuable contributions to self esteem etc, but also as part of a young person’s personal development and next steps in gaining further education, training or employment.

A non-exhaustive example list of types of volunteering opportunities includes:

• Administration at sessions/the office/events

• Refereeing tournaments• Leading and organising sessions,

workshops, flexible activities• Assistant coaching roles• Local clean up operations• Leading youth forums and/or gathering

feedback• Writing funding bids, match reports, case studies etc

• Setting up equipment such as portable pitches and floodlights

• Mentoring younger participants• Designing and producing promotional

material• Representing the project at media

events/interviews.

4. Build experience and commitment to volunteer on a more regular basis

As a starting point, young people may have volunteered as part of a one-off opportunity e.g. as part of running a specific activity or event. By encouraging young people to build on this and any other short term volunteering within the programme, they can in turn, build commitment. Projects should encourage individuals to take more formal ownership of a volunteering opportunity, committing to undertake the responsibility on a more regular or part-time basis. By also offering the young people the chance to undertake more regular and additional types of volunteering opportunities, they can gain more experience and responsibility, so they can progress to the next step in the pathway.

5. Implement rewards, training, accreditation, qualifications and progression opportunities

Football clubs and partners support and encourage volunteering in a range of ways and in consultation with the young people themselves. It goes without saying that regular praise and sincere thanks from delivery staff are encouraged and can be supplemented by rewards such as providing occasional tickets to attend football matches or events. The kudos of association with a football club and the Kickz programme can also be harnessed by providing branded kit which distinguishes appropriate levels/instances of volunteering among their peers. All football clubs are provided with resources to bestow bronze, silver and gold certification to young people, based on the number of volunteering hours they complete. Local and national presentations are also made to highlight and thank the young people for their volunteering achievements. This ranges from presentations at sessions or on a match day, to a Kickz volunteer of the year for every club, being recognised at the prestigious national Kickz awards ceremony.

As a final step, and again based on discussion with the volunteers, a wide range of personal development opportunities, including accreditation and qualifications can be offered or signposted. Other positive progression such as identifying other education, training, employment and further volunteering opportunities should also be supported wherever possible.


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Total number of volunteers (all ages) 2,293

Of which were ‘short-term’21 volunteers 1,402

Regular, ‘part-time’22 volunteers 891

Aggregate number of filled volunteering opportunities

19,083

Kickz volunteers 2008-09: age (%)

3.3Volunteering statistics – the national picture

The table below shows information relating to the scale of volunteering (across all ages) achieved by Kickz projects nationally since the programme began, up to 31 May 2009.

3.4Volunteers: demographics

Kickz projects have monitored a number of key demographic indicators for volunteers. Age and ethnicity are presented below for the period 2008-09.23 To account for the major expansion in London over the past two years, data is presented for the national programme as a whole, along with highlighting London’s data as a point of comparison.

The data captured within the reporting tool indicates that the ethnic profile of Kickz volunteers is similar to that of the programme’s participants. The majority of volunteers nationally are from minority ethnic groups and, as the graph indicates, there is a particularly high level of ethnic diversity amongst volunteers in Greater London. This is reflective of the situation in other more diverse areas and further evidence of the programme’s efforts to ensure ethnic inclusivity within its provision.


London 2008-0925

21 The youth volunteering charity v classify short-term volunteering opportunities as: taking part in a one-off volunteering opportunity to get a flavour of volunteering and a sense of its potential value to themselves and the community.

23 v classify part-time opportunities as: volunteering activity which is usually a few hours per month – but also including young people who make a structured commitment to volunteer for up to two or three days per week for a number of weeks.

23 As with participants’ information, the graphs and tables show data based on volunteers for whom demographic information was collected successfully.

24 Number = 1,40425 Number = 76726 Number = 1,40527 Number = 785

Kickz volunteers 2008-09: ethnicity (%)


London 2008-0927

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%






KEY MESSAGE:Kickz aims to embed a culture of volunteering within projects and provides a vehicle to connect with those who may often prove difficult to engage and educate around its benefits. There is a high level of ethnic diversity amongst Kickz volunteers and the majority are aged 15 and over. The programme has a partnership with the youth volunteering charity v and has seen exponential volunteering growth, engaging close to 2,300 volunteers by May 2009. In total, the programme has created and filled over 19,000 volunteering opportunities.

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

21 and older

19 and 20

17 and 18

15 and 16

13 and 14

11 and 12

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3.5Detailed focus on 16-25 year old volunteers

In line with the programme’s focus (along with that of v, the national youth volunteering charity) on developing volunteering opportunities for young people aged 16-25yrs, a statistical breakdown for this specific group since the programme began, up to 31 May 2009, is shown below:

Since January 2008, the Kickz online monitoring tool was enhanced to capture detailed volunteering data. From the data inputted since then, the following graphs show the most up to date figures (at the time of going to press) for 16-25 year old volunteers who have volunteered on a more regular, or ‘part-time’ basis.

The data shows that of those 16-25 year old young people who go onto volunteer on a more regular basis, 93% are aged between 16-20yrs. These figures make sense when considering that the overall Kickz programme targets participants aged between 12-18yrs. Just over 23% are aged between 19-21yrs and this cohort often includes former participants, who have stayed engaged with the programme through a volunteering exit route.

In line with the programme approach to give 12-15yr old participants some opportunity to gain experience and positive attitudes to volunteering, but focus on those approaching or above 16yrs, it is encouraging that 75% of the 19,083 volunteering opportunities were taken up by those in the 16-25yr bracket.

Total number of volunteers (16-25yrs) 1,325

Of which were ‘short-term’ volunteers 765

Regular part-time volunteers 560

Aggregate number of filled volunteering opportunities

14,402

16-25 yr olds have undertaken 75% of all volunteering opportunities provided within the programme.

0% 5% 10% 15.% 20% 25% 30%

24 years

23 years

22 years

21 years

20 years

19 years

18 years

17 years

16 years

1%Volunteer preferred not to say

57%In education/learning

17%Not in education oremployment (NEET)

4%Other

9%In training

12%Employed full/part-timeor self employed

6%other

17%Progress intoanothervolunteeringopportunity

18%Employment withproject/football club

12%Otheremployment

9%No longervolunteering

21%Progressioninto training

17%Progress into education

Age split 16-25 year old ‘part-time’ volunteers

Part-time 16-25 year old volunteers Education/Training/Employment status(data known for 78% of group)

Part-time 16-25 year old volunteers progression(data known for 84% of group)


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3.6Education, training and employment status and progression for volunteers

The data captured28 shows that the majority (57%) of 16-25yr old, part-time Kickz volunteers, are in education/learning. It can be assumed that most are still at school or have gone onto college/further education, since almost three quarters of the 16-25yr old volunteers actually fall into the 16-18 age bracket.

Following the recession and negative impact on numbers of young people who are unemployed, it is positive that a significant proportion (17%) of the part-time volunteers engaged within Kickz, were not in education, employment or training (NEET). During a challenging period for young people and the Government’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Kickz projects are offering opportunities to those who are more acutely in need, along with helping prevent others from falling into the NEET category.

When reviewing the progression routes for 16-25yr old part-time volunteers at Kickz, the picture is even more positive. 61% have progressed into education, training or employment and a further 17% into another volunteering opportunity. Specifically, 30% moved onto employment, including impressive numbers going on to work for the football club/community schemes. In fact, one of the Kickz programme’s most impressive achievements is that in three years, 170 young people have gone on to gain employment with one of the 39 football clubs/community schemes. When combined with the positive approach and statistical volunteering data, Kickz can be seen to be delivering on its ambition to home grow deliverers of the future from within their own communities.

Volunteering Case Studies

Lydia at Sunderland Kickz

Lydia, 16, had been the victim of an assault by an older girl outside the Seaburn Centre. But, rather than let it affect her, she responded by becoming involved in the Kickz project run by the Sunderland Foundation at the venue.

As staff consulted with the girls on future options at Kickz, she began to take a lead role, raising other activities such as music, dance, workshops and residential activities, as things which may help encourage other girls to attend.

Much to her credit she also successfully brought in another group of girls who hadn’t really mixed before, to come up with the ideas. She took up the staff ’s suggestion to officially volunteer, despite being a little concerned about other people treating her differently. She was quickly growing in confidence, planning and communicating with young people and staff, skillfully defusing any heated discussions.

Before long, Lydia was asking to be more involved and began to add a variety of different volunteering opportunities to her involvement, even enlisting two of her friends to help her with session admin and registration.

Her achievements range from helping access funding for a theme park trip, to organising a Kickz evaluation night at the stadium. She also led a group of the young people in writing funding bids to further develop the centre and have a place where young people can go for workshops, apply for other funding, complete homework, as well as talk to each other in a relaxed environment. Thanks in no small part to Lydia the project often has up to 30 girls attending. Lydia was also recently named as a regional winner as part of the v inspired national awards 2009.

28 Education, Training or Employment status was captured for 78% of 16-25 year old part, part-time volunteers Education, Training or Employment status’ in the system between Jan 2008 and Aug 2009. 84% of 16-25 year old, part-time volunteers progression data was been captured during the same period.

KEY MESSAGE:75% of all volunteering opportunities provided within the programme have gone to those aged 16-25yrs. 521 of the 16-25 year olds volunteering on Kickz have gone on to do so on a more regular, part-time basis. Of this group, 61% have progressed into education, training or employment and a further 17% into another volunteering opportunity. 30% of the group specifically progressed into employment and, very impressively, 170 young people have gone on to work within one of the 39 Kickz football clubs/community schemes. Kickz is delivering on its intention to home grow positive local role models and deliverers of the future from within the target communities.

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Jarvis at Sheffield United

When Kickz was introduced in his area, 19yr old Jarvis was on a less positive path in life and on the fringes of trouble. He’s now a paid, qualified and well trained member of staff, undertaking a volunteer coordinators role for Sheffield United’s two Kickz projects. As an influential young person in a challenging community, Jarvis has become integral to the club’s positive engagement of local young people and a superb role model. Ahead of gaining employment, Jarvis was interviewed and said:

“I’ve been involved with Sheffield United’s Kickz project for about eight months now. I live close to the site where sessions are delivered and Keith – the Sheffield United Kickz Coordinator – came to me and my friends and managed to engage us in the project.

“I started to come to every session regularly and, as I was 18 years old and keen, Keith encouraged me to volunteer as a coach. So I did and I started to take the project more seriously. I now don’t just get involved as a player with the older lads, I coach the younger participants in their sessions – up to 40 kids at a time.

“The older lads that I got involved with see Kickz as mainly football, but that’s okay; that’s what engaged us in the first place. For the younger ones, it’s the variety of opportunities that gets them involved; we also offer street dance and music sessions and soon we will be introducing basketball.

“It’s so well organised and great to have so many professional clubs involved – it gives us a sense of belonging to something bigger. Whether it is the staff or the equipment, the quality of the scheme attracts the kids and makes them want to come back. It is all free too, you can just turn up.

“Our project is so good. And if I wasn’t on it, honestly, I don’t know what I’d be doing – probably nothing at all. What the football clubs and police are doing through Kickz is amazing and I know it happens across the country.”


ickz pathway

41


Kirtis at Fulham

Kirtis, 17, had drifted into becoming involved in anti-social behaviour, smoking and drinking, and was coming to the attention of the Merton Youth Offending Team. In his own words he said:

“I got involved in the project about three years ago. At the time, I was doing bad things like hanging out on the streets and riding around in stolen cars.”

But he wasn’t disruptive during Kickz sessions. Staff had built a rapport and felt that structure, support and help with personal development could make a big difference. As a first step he moved on to represent the first team of Fulham’s Kickz ‘Merton 1’ project.

He had been in trouble with the police before Kickz, but, when the local safer neighbourhood team would often turn up at both football and flexible night sessions, he began to build up a better relationship with them.

The police would regularly come down and engage with all the young people breaking barriers and building respect. This was especially important to Kirtis who before, had openly stated that he felt the police would victimise him for no reason. Kirtis puts it like this:

“Yeah, I never used to like the police but, once you get to know them, you realise they’re not bad. The programme has made me realise that crime doesn’t pay and that you’re better off getting your head down and working.”

He left his secondary school with few qualifications and became NEET (not in education, employment or training). However, during the summer Fulham ran an FA level 1 football coaching qualification in partnership with the Merton’s Summer Uni programme. It offered young people the chance to partake in activities and gain qualifications throughout the borough free of charge. Kirtis got involved. He attended every session, on time, everyday. When he passed the course Fulham approached him to see if he would like to become a volunteer at Kickz. He was very keen and met with Fulham’s volunteer coordinator to come up with an action plan. In an interview with Young People Now magazine, Kirtis said: “It’s given me something to do and kept me off the streets. I now play football on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights, so I don’t really have much time to just hang around. I’ve also passed my Level 1 football coaching course and I’m now running sessions for the younger ones on Mondays and Saturdays. I really enjoy it.

“I’m not at college at the moment but I’d like to do a course in plumbing or carpentry next year. For now, I’m going to keep playing football and doing the coaching sessions.”

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4.0Policy contributions – national, regional and localIn the 2008 programme report, it was explained that Kickz can be regarded – in both funding and impact terms – as a cross-Government initiative with an ability to meet a range of policy objectives, especially in relation to crime and anti-social behaviour and young people’s wellbeing. In this section, the programme’s continuing contributions to key local and national Government priorities are analysed. This is done primarily in relation to recent Government concerns about the provision of positive activities for young people and a growing consensus across the political spectrum that high quality activities can help support, protect and develop young people during key (and potentially risky) periods in their lives.

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4.1Positive activities – ‘Aiming High’

In 2007, the Government published ‘Aiming High’, its ten year strategy for positive activities for young people. As part of the wide ranging Policy Review of Children and Young People, the strategy established firmly the Government’s belief that positive activities have a central role to play in the lives of young people. More specifically, it embedded the view that, where young people are subject to various ‘risk factors’ when growing up (such as multiple forms of disadvantage, disengagement from education, inadequate housing or poor parenting), positive activities can offer some level of protection.

There are two key presumptions in Aiming High:1. A young person’s chances of living

productive and successful lives are improved if they develop social and emotional skills during adolescence.

2. Positive activities can help to build such skills, especially amongst ‘disadvantaged’ young people who lack alternative sources of support.

The following quote reflects the strategy’s core understanding of the value of positive activities and the personal benefits they deliver for young people:

Participation in positive activities...protects against poor outcomes and helps counteract negative influences. It helps young people to feel good about themselves and their chances in life by developing their confidence and self-esteem, their motivation and aspirations. These characteristics can impact on their attitudes at school, the company they keep outside of school, and whether they take risks with their health or get involved in anti-social and criminal behaviour.29

The programme has been informed since its inception by a belief that the provision of constructive activities will help to improve young people’s lives and, by embracing a ‘developmental’ (as opposed to simply ‘diversionary’) approach to working with young people, it is well ahead of the field in reflecting Aiming High’s vision of how successful youth services should be delivered. Indeed, as was shown in last year’s Kickz report30, it is notable how well Kickz matches with the ten defining features of quality youth provision listed in Aiming High.

28 HM Treasury and DCSF (2007) Aiming High for Young People: a ten year strategy for positive activities (London: HMSO), p. 1829 Football Foundation and Substance (2008) Kickz First Season Progress Report (London: Football Foundation) p. 53

Defining feature How met through Kickz

Successful activities are attractive to young people and inclusive

• Use of football, club brands and high-profile players to engage young people

• Use of popular activities (football, music, other sports)

• No formal barriers (financial or otherwise) to participation

They do not treat teenagers as problems • Sessions are primarily open access rather than referral-based

• Young people are engaged simply by providing them with ‘something to do’ (rather than by compelling their attendance)

• Issue-based sessions are primarily delivered in a friendly, unthreatening manner

• Focus of many sessions is on keeping young people safe

They involve young people, and their parents, in design and delivery

• Young people are routinely involved in the design of ‘third night’ activities

• Young people act in volunteering roles and help with project delivery

• Young people are encouraged to take ‘ownership’ of projects

• A youth board advises the national programme – and have given themselves the name ‘Can we kick it’

They provide appropriate supervision in a safe environment

• Projects provide young people with alternative, safe places to ‘hang out’

They offer ease of access • No formal barriers (financial or otherwise) to participation

• Project activities are ‘taken to’ young people and are therefore available locally

They address young people’s needs in the round

• Projects make contributions across the full range of Every Child Matters criteria

They encourage sustained participation and retain young people as they mature

• Young people are engaged consistently over prolonged periods of time

• Young people’s attendance is maintained through progression routes and volunteering

• Projects focus on sustainability by ‘growing deliverers of the future’

They are creative • Young-person-led sessions• Flexibility of ‘third night’ provision

They are supported by adequate financial, human and material resources

• The programme, via support from national partners, provides a high level of central funding and support

• Local partners are providing increased expertise and funding to projects

• It is supporting the development of its staff through workforce development

They support youth workers through good strategic and operational management

• National Kickz team provides clear operational management for projects

• National steering group provides programme with strategic management

• Local steering groups provide projects with guidance and leadership

• Culture of monitoring, evaluation and reflective practice supports programme/project quality

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4.2Time for Action – London Mayor’s Vision – Example of Kickz fit with regional strategies

In November 2008 the London Mayor published proposals and a ‘call to partners’ as part of the Time for Action document, which aimed at equipping young people for the future and preventing violence. The proposals were intended to complement work being done by other agencies, in particular London boroughs that have lead responsibilities for children’s services and to focus on the value that can be added. In addition to highlighting how Kickz effectively complements central government policy, it is also worth mentioning that the programme approach transcends party politics and successfully addresses regional policies such as those for London, where Kickz projects are densely populated.

The key themes throughout Time for Action are congruent with the Kickz model. For instance, the paper highlights the need for ‘working together’ and ‘disseminating best practice’. It states that ‘it would be useful to have a clearer sense of where there is provision and where there are gaps’, while also recognising that there are ‘huge opportunities to help these youngsters, before their lives go inevitably wrong’. Combating the fear of youth and ensuring that ‘quality and results matter’ is also raised as a key feature with Time for Action.

Along with Deputy Commissioner Tim Godwin of the Metropolitan Police, Deputy Mayor Kit Malthouse recognised the Kickz programme’s success in bringing together a joined up strategy and network across London, by formally announcing that all 32 London boroughs within the Metropolitan Police’s jurisdiction were now involved in the programme, at a launch event at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge.

KEY MESSAGE:In terms of impact, Kickz meets a range of policy objectives and can be regarded as a cross-Government initiative at both national and local level. By embracing a developmental (as opposed to simply ‘diversionary’) approach, Kickz is ahead of the field in reflecting the Government’s 10 year youth strategy Aiming High. It is notable how well Kickz matches with the ten defining features of quality youth provision listed in the document.

Kickz fits well with best practice definitions of successful youth practice recommended by a wide range of groups. For instance, the key themes in the London Mayor’s Time for Action document are also congruent with the Kickz model, not least in terms of working together, disseminating best practice, combating the fear of youth and ensuring that quality and results matter.

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4.3Helping local authorities

To conclude this subsection, it is important to note that, whilst much of the analysis within this and subsequent sections is focused on Kickz’ contributions to national policy agendas and initiatives, the job of implementing coherent approaches to positive activity provision – and of ensuring that the provision is delivered at the right time and in the right places, falls mainly on local authorities. The Education and Inspections Act 2006 introduced a new duty on local authorities, through their children’s trust arrangements, to secure access to sufficient positive leisure-time activities for young people in their area (through both direct provision and partnership working). It also requires local authorities to involve young people – and particularly those experiencing disadvantage – in deciding which facilities and activities should be available for them.31

Evidence throughout this report makes it clear that Kickz projects are already contributing to delivery targets in many local authority areas and that, as a result of the programme’s commitment to monitoring and evaluation, projects can supply local authorities with

vital performance data relating to attendance and delivery (data which could be used as part of local authorities’ Comprehensive Area Assessments (CAAs) – the new local performance frameworks introduced in April 2009). However, in a context in which two-thirds of the 150 local area agreements signed in 2008 included targets for increasing young people’s participation in positive activities and reducing the number of first-time entrants into the criminal justice system, the evidence in this section suggests that Kickz projects can do even more for local authorities. Whether through sharing best practice with other activity providers, or increased partnership working and the development of new projects, Kickz is in strong position to further embed and grow its approach and local authority commissioners should be cognisant of the programme’s excellent potential.

KEY MESSAGE:The job of implementing national policy agendas with the right provision in the right places at the right times, falls mainly to local authorities. Kickz delivers in 59 local authority areas and is in a strong position to further help them to deliver on a wide range of key objectives and targets, supplying performance data to satisfy Comprehensive Area Assessments and the new local performance frameworks introduced in April 2009.

31 See section 507B of the Education Act 2006

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5.0Crime, anti-social behaviour and improving relationships with the policeIt has long been thought that sport and other activities may be able to help young people to avoid ‘risky lives’ (those blighted by involvement in crime, poor health choices and other ‘deviant’ behaviour) but, in a context where there is pronounced public concern over youth crime, it is perhaps unsurprising that a great deal of focus has recently been given to the ways in which positive activities can help young people avoid involvement in crime and anti-social behaviour.

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Programme approach

The recent Audit Commission report Tired of Hanging Around specifically addressed the use of sport and leisure to prevent anti-social behaviour by young people and made a series of recommendations to local and national government based on the assertion that involving young people in positive activities was likely to save the Government £100m per year, if those programmes succeeded in preventing just one in ten young offenders from ending up in custody.32 Kickz projects were visited as part of the research and cited as a model of good practice within the report, along with the programme approach to combining qualitative and quantitative data.

In last year’s programme report, it was shown that Kickz projects are making real impacts on crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) levels in the areas in which they are delivered. It was noted that in London and the North West, crime reduction was over five times greater on the days when Kickz projects were being delivered and that, even more compellingly, there was little evidence that crime was being displaced to other times and/or areas. This, it was suggested, is because Kickz is not merely diversionary, but rather is a development programme committed to providing holistic support for young people with the aim of improving their life chances (rather than simply restricting their opportunities for engaging in criminal activity).

A key factor of Kickz is the multi-agency process adopted in geographically locating projects in areas that suffer from high levels of crime and ASB, and more often than not in areas of high deprivation. Whilst one of Kickz’s objectives is to make a positive contribution to reducing this crime and ASB, it is also acknowledged that it is often very difficult to show a direct connection between the existence of a scheme and a local reduction in crime and ASB, as many other factors can influence crime levels. However by showing the qualitative and quantitative data together, Kickz can be seen to be having a positive impact on local crime and ASB, as well as the lives of the young people attending. The case becomes more compelling when combining the data and testimonies of multiple projects and police forces across the country.

The police are not only a major partner behind the scenes at a national and local level, but police staff including Community Support Officers are accessing sessions to help break down barriers between young people and the authorities. These interactions range from informal drop-in sessions to speaking to young people on positive terms, to organising workshops on issues such as the danger of weapons and their rights when it comes to stop and search. The police presence also helps to reassure the local community and minimise the risks of working in areas where serious incidents occur more frequently.

Since Kickz is geographically targeted, the young people who engage with the various schemes are often deemed to be particularly vulnerable to crime and ASB. This vulnerability is not just about being the victim of a crime, but also becoming a perpetrator. Local partners are reporting that many of the young people engaged in the projects are known to the authorities in one form or another and, as recent research undertaken in London with Youth Offending Teams shows, up to 28% are known to be in the Criminal Justice System in one form or another.

“The locations for Kickz were identified as priority areas in respect of policing in the borough and having few resources to engage young people. The main aim of Preventative Youth Services, is to reduce First Time Entrants to the Criminal Justice System – Kickz is located in areas where significant proportion of First Time Entrants reside, therefore supporting us in this aim. Kickz has greatly enhanced the service offered to young people in Wandsworth and extended the work of the Preventative Youth Services.”Wandsworth Borough Council

A crime analysis report has been produced to look at the potential impact of the various Kickz projects on crime and anti-social behaviour in the immediate areas surrounding the various projects nationally. This report compares the year September 2007 to August 2008 with September 2005 to August 2006, prior to any projects being in place. This report concentrates on 68 projects across all 32 London boroughs and 39 projects outside of London running across 17 police force areas.

In the main analysis report:

• Crime data has been taken using all classified crime and using the Home Office classification codes. The reports have been adapted to show ‘Select Crime’, which are crimes that are more associated with young people.33

• ASB data has been taken using the 17 Home Office incident codes that make up ASB. It is worth mentioning that the Home Office standardised these codes in September 2006 to allow for more accurate counting and comparison on a national level. The ASB base year is therefore not the same as the base year for crime.34

Positive statistical data, combined with qualitative feedback from local police and partners on the impact on crime and ASB help to show the true impact locally.

32 Audit Commission (2009) Tired of Hanging Around: Using sport and leisure activities to prevent anti-social behaviour by young people (London: Audit Commission)33 It is important to note that it is very difficult to show a direct connection between any scheme and its impact on local crime and ASB. There are a number of other factors like local policing

initiatives, Safer Neighbourhood policing and other good work that can influence local crime. For this reason the full local reports will not form part of the national report but will be available locally to partners. Not all police forces use the same system to record crime and ASB so it is impossible to compare schemes in one force area with those in another.

34 This means when ASB is compared, in some cases it was required to compare it to previous years when some Kickz schemes had already begun.

KEY MESSAGE:Kickz is taking a comprehensive approach to tackling a range of risk factors associated with youth crime and anti-social behaviour. This extends not only in helping to prevent young people becoming perpetrators, but also includes those who are vulnerable as victims.

Police are key strategic players behind each individual Kickz project. Operationally, police staff and Community Support Officers also access and support projects. Where few opportunities may exist to engage on positive terms, sessions act as a vehicle to break down barriers between young people and the authorities. More involved examples of support include running well received workshops on a range of issues such as personal safety, stop and search and the dangers of carrying weapons.

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5.1Crime/ASB Summary in Kickz Scheme areas

The following data has been summarised into regions (in alphabetical order) based on the clusters of clubs in these areas. In the majority of cases the data comparison is between 01/09/2006 to 31/08/2007 and 01/09/2007 to 31/08/2008.

5.1.1Cleveland (Pallister Park)35

Across the scheme area, on the days that Kickz sessions were running the following overall results for crimes often associated with young people were:

• Robbery reduced 37.3%• Burglary reduced 17.3%• Violence Against the Person reduced 11.5%

Across the scheme area, on all days, the following overall results were shown:

• 18.2% reduction in ASB• Select crime down 16.6%

“I have found the Kickz project to be a great success. Not only does it give the kids in the area something to do on an evening, thus diverting them away from other distractions, I have also found it to be great at breaking down barriers between the local kids and the Police. The kids can now see that my officers are human beings and not just a uniform. I can definitely say that their attitude towards us, in the main has improved, which can only be a good thing.”Paul Brodie, Community Sergeant, Cleveland Police, Middlesbrough Kickz

5.1.2Derbyshire(Derwent)

The Kickz Project has been running in the Derwent Ward and continues to run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.

“There has been a 6% reduction in recorded crime over the period Kickz has been running compared to the same period the year before. There has also been a 28% reduction in criminal damages reported (the crime mostly associated with anti-social behaviour) over the same period36. The project is successful and is contributing to crime reduction within the locality.”Chief Inspector Sunita Gamblin, Derbyshire Police, Derby County Kickz

5.1.3Durham (Chester Le Street)

“The Kickz project is a resounding success. Not only has it dramatically reduced incidents of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage in the area, it has also given young people something to which they can relate to and be part of37. There is an ownership and commitment to the project and this is demonstrated by numbers who attend and continue to attend. The Kickz “Shop” is unique in the country and has transformed a run down shop unit into a impressive high tech facility which I have no doubt is the envy of many other areas. What is really outstanding is the excellent collaboration between all of the partner agencies, and in particular Cestria Housing who fund the project, and who are active collaborators in this on going success storey. The project has allowed excellent interaction between the NPT Community Support Officers and the young persons who attend. I feel the project deserves all the plaudits directed towards it, and those plaudits in particular reflect the fantastic work of the staff who run it.”Sgt Paul Hadden, Chester Le Street Neighbourhood Policing Team, Sunderland Kickz

35 The data for Cleveland excludes November 2007 as this contained erroneous data and could not be used. 36 The quote from Derbyshire police and statistics is based on their own time period comparison.37 The quote from Durham police and statistics are based on their own time period comparison.

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5.1.4Greater Manchester(Fallowfield/Moss Side, East Manchester, Old Trafford, Hagfold and Shakerly)

Across all scheme areas on the days that Kickz sessions were running, the following overall results for crimes associated with young people were:


Across all scheme areas, on all days, the following overall results were shown:


“Kickz is a fantastic project that provides a positive alternative for youngsters who may otherwise be drawn towards anti-social behaviour. It enables groups of young people to get together and reach their potential.”Chief Constable Peter Fahy, on a visit to Manchester City’s Kickz project in Fallowfield/Moss Side

(pictured below)

“We have established a good working relationship with the Bolton Wanderers staff. I regularly receive positive feedback from police officers visiting youths in the area on evenings that the Kickz project is open. I have visited the project several times and am delighted to see so many local young people engaged in a variety of activities. I regularly meet with local councillors and know that councillors outside of the area are envious of the positive impact the Kickz project has made.”Sgt John Boyce, GMP, Bolton Kickz

As part of a very strong relationship between the police and Wigan Athletic, the partnership successfully bid for funding from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to extend to cover three different areas. Officers linked to the Wigan based projects said:

“The project has been extremely successful in the Hagfold area in reducing criminal damage and anti-social behaviour.”Chief Supt. Lee Bruckshaw, GMP

“Before being involved in the Kickz programme, some of the young people were involved in anti-social behaviour, perhaps on the border line of becoming involved in criminal activity. But, by working with the Kickz project and the support that they have been given it has totally turned these young people around.”Sgt Liz Sanderson, GMP, Wigan Athletic Kickz

“Some of the young people initially had some issues with Police Officers because all they ever saw were police coming, locking up and taking people away. They now don’t see me as a Police Community Support Officer, but they’re actually calling me by my first name and I’m also Neil the referee.”PCSO Neil Fallows, GMP, Wigan Athletic Kickz

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5.1.5Hampshire(Milton/Eastney)

“Kickz engages with young people of both sexes from across the city, providing a breadth of activities that otherwise would not have been provided. The park did cause a huge draw on Police resources and the local community were becoming wary of using the facilities. The project was developed by a group from the local Police, YOT, Adolescent Health, University of Portsmouth, Education and the regional project coordinators. This improved the interaction between agencies on the site itself and between the young people involved in the project.

“The catchment area has seen a reduction in crime and ASB over the last two years which looks to be sustained for a third year. The most impressive gains are seen when comparing temporal data which shows:

• Crime at 20% lower than in 2007, when the project started. • ASB down a massive 60%.

“For me as the Sector Inspector for Southsea, I am obviously happy to see that the local community is suffering less from crime and ASB removing one area that has to be “policed”38. Instead my PCSOs can work closely with the project on the ground, developing relationships with young people. The benefits of this are seen now and are likely to be sustained into the young person’s adult life. We are seeing young people being turned around to a more positive lifestyle and calls to the area for the Police are much reduced.

“To summarise: More kids doing what they should do than what they shouldn’t. Less crime and ASB. A safer community and one that feels safer. Improved working between agencies, better relationships between the SNT and the young people...and it is all sustainable.”Inspector Stephen Hutchings, Hampshire Police, Portsmouth Kickz

5.1.6Lancashire(Bastwell)

Across the scheme area on the days that Kickz sessions were running, the overall results for crimes often associated with young people were:

• Robbery reduced 32.3%• Burglary reduced 17.7%• Violence Against the Person reduced 4.4%• Criminal Damage down 16%

Across the area, on all days, the following overall results were shown:


In partnership with Blackburn Rovers, Lancashire Police has delivered successful workshops on a range of issues including gun, gang and knife crime, stop and search and car crime/road safety.

“We’ve got these young people that you couldn’t approach before – that we couldn’t reach before – they had no discipline, no respect and now they are volunteering for us to help organise other sessions.”Zuba Patel, Blackburn Rovers Kickz

38 The quote from Hampshire police and statistics are based on their own time period comparison.

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5.1.7All London Schemes (32 individual boroughs)

Across all scheme areas on the days that Kickz sessions were running, the overall results for crimes often associated with young people were:

• Robbery reduced 23.3%• Burglary reduced 6.8%• Violence Against the Person reduced 4.2%• Criminal Damage reduced 13%


• 7.6% reduction in ASB in scheme areas• Select crime reduced 5.8%

The most established London Kickz project, based on the Ferry Lane Estate in Haringey has seen close to a 30% reduction in select crime. In Bromley on the Mountfield Estate, criminal damage has reduced by a third.

“Elthorne Park is a place transformed – and Kickz has been a big part of that success story. The work of the local police Safer Neighbourhoods Team, the Council and Arsenal FC has turned the park from somewhere that was characterised by street drinking, criminality and anti-social behaviour into somewhere that belongs once more to the local community. Kickz provides safe activities for young people in a safe place – and everyone benefits as a consequence.”Superintendent John Sutherland, Islington, Arsenal Kickz

“The force is working with us. It puts a face to them as a lot of our kids are anti-establishment. A lot of our lads see me talking to a police officer first and that basically makes them human to them.”Shaun Booth, Fulham Kickz, Lambeth, Fulham Kickz

Case Study: Hillingdon Kickz Programme – Proactive police support

Some of the areas surrounding the Hillingdon Kickz projects were well known for youth violence and more serious incidents. While reaching out and building relationships with young people, boundaries were also made clear from the outset. Every young person attending signed up to the Code of Conduct, which was well received by the young people themselves, particularly as it had been developed in partnership with them and the delivery staff.

The Metropolitan Police has run a series of workshops for the participants in order to discourage crime/ASB and positively improve relationships. Knife crime workshops were particularly successful, using hard hitting visuals and descriptions. The final part of the workshop personalised the message further, as it was delivered by a father who had lost his son due to a knife attack. You could see the message hitting home.

Examples of other workshops delivered include: sniffer dog sessions (to lead into anti-drugs discussions), dangerous dogs workshops, anti-gun discussions and an interactive demonstration by Riot Police. The latter was specifically designed to improve relationships with the young people as part of an interactive and creative approach. A dressing up (in riot gear) relay race and opportunity to throw tennis balls at riot shields was very well received. The intended aim of breaking down barriers was firmly achieved and the young people and police left having forged very positive, respectful relationships. Some young people even inquired about joining the force.

“By engaging with major football clubs, Kickz has been a revolutionary approach to moving young people into positive activities in areas they are interested in and enjoy. The communities of this borough have benefited from not only the dedication of the Kickz volunteers and police officers involved but also from the support of the three major football clubs, Chelsea, Fulham and QPR.”Chief Superintendent Kevin Hurley, Borough Commander for Hammersmith and Fulham

Case Study: Improving relationships and understanding between police and young people in Southwark

As a result of the partnership created with Southwark Police through Kickz, the Damilola Taylor Centre in Peckham hosted a seminar on Section 60 and the use of the Search Arch as part of the Operation Blunt 2 initiative. This was well received by local young people and police alike and pays tribute to the value of the project in breaking down barriers with police.

“The project in Peckham has focused the minds of young people towards reducing violent youth crime. The sessions mixing football with stop and search, demonstrating search arches and discussing use of police powers was a perfect opportunity to deliver a positive message in a fun environment.”SNT Peckham, Millwall Kickz

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5.1.8Northumbria (Seaburn & Westgate)


• Robbery reduced 37.1%• Burglary reduced 17.5%• Violence Against the Person reduced 13.7%• Criminal Damage down 11.9%



“As Chief Inspector responsible for Neighbourhood Policing in Newcastle I am grateful for the support of Kickz. The initiatives have been aimed at young people in the areas and at the times they are most needed. I have also been very impressed by the enthusiasm and talent displayed by the young people themselves. Kickz has not only provided opportunities for young people to have fun and develop skills, but it has assisted me and my staff in our efforts to deal effectively with issues which are of importance to local communities. As a member of the Kickz steering group I look forward to our continued collaboration.”Chief Inspector Andrea Henderson, Northumbria Police, Newcastle United Kickz

5.1.9Merseyside (Breckside & Stockbridge)

Across all scheme areas on the days that Kickz sessions were running, the overall results for crimes often associated with young people were: • Robbery reduced 32.6%• Burglary reduced 18.6%• Violence Against the Person reduced 3.4%• Criminal Damage down 16.6%


• 22% reduction in ASB• Select crime down 16.1%

“The area has always had a higher than average amount of ASB. Since the introduction of the Kickz programme, police officers and PCSOs from the neighbourhood have worked with the football coaches and staff at the site in an effort to channel young people away from the local criminality element. All youths spoken to by the policing team are advised of the projects and we are seeing some of our ‘problem’ youths attending and enjoying the events. As a result of a Policing Operation (Operation Harrier), the Kickz programme and the multi agency work that has taken place, the local area has seen a 25% decrease in incidents of ASB compared with the same period last year.”Sgt. Danny Kirwin, Merseyside Police, Everton/Liverpool Kickz

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5.1.10South Yorkshire(Sharrow)





At the 2008 National Kickz Awards, the award for ‘Police Outstanding Contribution’ outside London was won by Inspector Craig Patchett from South Yorkshire Police. He was recognised for outstanding dedication in developing the local partnership behind the Sheffield United Kickz project and securing match funding to secure its sustainability. He has helped drive the project so that it is has become a significantly positive influence in the community.

“I am very proud to have won the award, however the real success story relates to the young people and their involvement in the Kickz project. Working alongside Sheffield United and with the support of partners I now look forward to developing the project across the city.”Inspector Patchett, South Yorkshire Police (pictured below)

5.1.11Thames Valley (Reading)39


• Robbery reduced 25.6%• Burglary reduced 9.3%• Violence Against the Person reduced 8.5%• Criminal Damage reduced 14%


• 24.4% reduction in ASB• Select crime down 16%

“With the introduction of safer neighbourhood policing in the area, the local community identified that drugs and ASB were the two main issues that caused most concern. The project is so vital, because it enables potential perpetrators of ASB to have something else to concentrate their minds and bodies on, as well as educating them into a healthy lifestyle.

“Due to the involvement of Reading FC, the project has been able to reach groups who would not ordinarily wish to engage with others who are attempting to rejuvenate the area. We are also seeing relationships between these youngsters and the Neighbourhood Police team improving significantly, with trust and confidence being consolidated.”Inspector Kevin Sinfield, Thames Valley Police, Reading Kickz

39 The headline figures for Thames Valley are based on comparing 01/09/2005 to 31/08/2006 with 01/09/2007 to 31/08/2008. The ASB headline figure is based on comparing 01/09/2006 to 31/08/2007 with 01/09/2007 to 31/08/2008.

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5.1.12West Midlands (Sandwell)


• Robbery reduced 38.4%• Burglary reduced 12.4%• Violence Against the Person down 14.5%• Criminal Damage down 10.4%


• Select crime down 17.5%• All crime down 18.1%• ASB reduced by 17.5%

“I have been involved with the Kickz project for several years. They provide practical community based initiatives that add real value, and they’re not afraid to deal with the most challenging of areas and individuals. Their innovative approach and professional dedicated staff continually demonstrate a “reach and influence” within communities that is, in my experience, unprecedented.”Bob Spencer, Superintendent, WMP

“From a local policing view we have continued to support the project by ensuring regular attendance. Officers are reaching local groups and encouraging them to join the Kickz programme, such as a Somali youth group not previously engaged. The number of attendees continues to grow – and the relationship is working well with partners all sharing opportunities and information.

“Kickz offers a real opportunity for police staff to find another medium to engage with our local young people. Community engagement is key to the future success of our local communities and on behalf of West Midlands Police addressing issues of trust and confidence are at the centre of all we do.”Inspector Danielle Corfield, WMP, Aston Villa Kickz

KEY MESSAGE:It is challenging to prove a cause and effect relationship between youth intervention programmes and crime/ASB rates. However to show the impact locally, Kickz goes beyond similar programmes’ research methods. Police statistical data and other quantitative results are combined with qualitative case studies and testimony from partners and police across a range of levels.

In 2008 partners stated that as part of a local strategy, crime/ASB reductions of up to 50% could be linked to the scheme. In the two regions where the most Kickz projects operate (London and the North West) reductions in crime were over five times greater on the most popular days when Kickz was running. Impressively, there was little evidence to suggest that crime was being displaced to other days or times.

As the programme has expanded, the police crime analysis report for 2009 (summarised by regional force), shows that positive trends have continued across scheme areas. Reductions in ASB of up to 60% have been reported, along with reductions of up to 20% in select crime, which are those crimes most commonly associated with young people. Multiple regional force statistics have shown falling crime in key areas, including up to 28% reductions in criminal damage and 19% reductions in violence against the person. The message becomes more compelling when acknowledging other key findings from this progress report, including the amount of activity taking place on Friday and Saturday evenings.

In recognising the significant and multiple costs of crime, Kickz presents a cost effective partnership approach to complement local intervention strategies.

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5.2Costs of Crime

It is difficult to place an exact figure on the cost savings that a programme such as Kickz can contribute to. However by combining qualitative and quantitative evidence, it appears that Kickz presents a cost effective intervention which prevents young people from engaging in potentially costly behaviour. Financial benefits to partners could increase as the programme can have an effect on multiple factors such as reducing calls to the authorities, lowering the number of repeat offenders and reducing the number of young people entering the criminal justice system.

“Kickz has been a welcome addition to Hillingdon’s repertoire of early intervention and prevention programmes and services. It has supported the local achievement of a reduction in first time entrants to the criminal justice system of 21.2% against the levels recorded in the previous year.”Hillingdon Youth and Connexions Services, Watford Kickz

The recent Audit Commission report ‘Tired of Hanging Around’ specifically addressed the use of sport and leisure to prevent anti-social behaviour by young people stating that involving young people in positive activities was likely to save the Government £100m per year if those programmes succeeded in preventing just one in ten young offenders from ending up in custody. Furthermore, based on figures issued by the Youth Justice Board it costs approximately £60,000 per year to keep a young person in a young Offenders’ Institute. Keeping one young person out of crime and out of an institute would in itself more than justify the cost of a single project.

As an example of further real savings the table below gives some indication as to the cost savings40 of certain crimes, based on the London crime reduction data in Kickz areas. This is with regards to:

• Policing costs in the reporting and investigation of crime and,• Total costs to the Criminal Justice System41 (CJS) as a whole.

The Kickz programme team are careful not to over claim that all the crime reduction and subsequent cost savings identified in the table, are solely down to the implementation of projects. Instead, the projects form an increasingly important part of a partnership approach to reducing crime and ASB in the ‘hotspot’ areas where Kickz is targeted. Furthermore, the tables focus on recorded crime and do not extend to cover projects potential impact on ASB for partners including the police and local authorities. As part of a one day count of ASB conducted by the Home Office in September 2003, it was stated that ASB on the day cost agencies in England and Wales at least £13.5m; which equated to around £3.4bn per year.

40 The average total costs are based on the unit costs for each crime from the Home Office document ‘The economic and social costs of crime against individuals and households 2003/04’. This represents the most up to date figures available from the Home office, who have assured the data to still be accurate.

41 CJS Total Cost includes; Police Activity, Prosecution, Magistrates’ Court, Crown Court, Jury Service , Legal Aid, Non Legal aid defence, Probation Service, Prison Service, Other CJS Costs, CJS Overhead, Criminal Injuries Comp

Crimes recorded between:

01/09/2005to 31/08/2006

Crimes recorded between:

01/09/2007 to 31/08/2008

Difference % Change Total Average Policing Cost

Saving

Total Average CJS Cost

Saving

Burglary 13177 12282 -895 -6.8% £515,520 £2,924,860

Criminal Damage 18532 16123 -2409 -13.0% £183,084 £2,086,194

Robbery 5274 4046 -1228 -23.3% £1,078,184 £8,942,296

Theft of/from Motor Vehicle

18128 15875 2253 -12.4% £122,743 £5,403,314

Violence Against the Person

27072 25923 -1149 -4.2% £868,644 £11,957,643

The table below shows a ‘Select Crime’ breakdown for London Kickz Project Areas, Pre and Post Kickz project implementation along with associated cost savings for the Police and Criminal Justice System (CJS)

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5.3Risk and protection factors

To assess how Kickz is delivering these impressive outcomes, it is useful to assess the programme’s fit with the Youth Justice Board’s understanding of the risk factors that may be experienced by young people in their formative years.42 More specifically, it is instructive to show how Kickz has provided ‘protection’ against a range of these risk factors over the past twelve months.

This table demonstrates that the Kickz programme’s approach to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour is to adopt a comprehensive philosophy which foregrounds neither punishment nor reward. Rather, by working to provide participants with protection – or at least respite – from the vulnerabilities which mark their lives, the programme is creating opportunities for more positive development pathways which involve the rejection of anti-social or criminal lifestyles.

Youth Justice Board Risk Factors Protection offered by Kickz in the last year (2008-09)

Family

Poor parental supervision and discipline 779,000 hours of supervised contact provided

Conflict 5,400 personal outcomes relating to improved social/teamwork skills

History of criminal activity 3,184 attendances at Be Safe anti-crime/safety workshops

Parental attitudes that condone anti-social and criminal behaviour

2,100 personal outcomes relating to improvements in behaviour

Low income Provision of 779,127 free hours of provision

Poor housing Delivery in over 140 alternative venues

School

Low achievement beginning in primary school

20,000 positive outcomes and qualifications recorded

Aggressive behaviour (including bullying) 2,100 personal outcomes relating to personal and social development

Lack of commitment (including truancy) Average contact hours of 39 hours recorded

Community

Living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood Over £13m invested in deprived neighbourhoods

Disorganisation and neglect Sustained provision provided 3 times a week, 48 weeks of the year

High population turnover and lack of neighbourhood attachment

Sustained involvement of participants with an average of 39 hours engaged in the year

Personal

Hyperactivity and impulsivity 27% of participants have completed 50 hours or more contact

Alienation and lack of social commitment Nearly 2,400 personal outcomes relating to positive participation or appearances in representative events

Friendships with peers involved in crime and drug misuse

Positive associations with almost 200 participants per project

42 See Communities that Care (2005) Risk and Protective Factors (London: Youth Justice Board)

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43 Louise Casey (2008) Engaging Communities and Fighting Crime (London: Cabinet Office)44 Ibid, pp. 40-4145 National Youth Agency (2009) Positive Activities for Young People: Expanding Friday and Saturday Night Provision (London: DCSF)46 See http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/Youth/aiminghigh/open/open47 See http://www.substance.coop/isp58 See, for instance, Children and Young People Now, 9-15 July 200959 NYA, Positive Activities, pp. 1-2

5.4Friday and Saturday evening provision

In the past year, the focus of debate about the provision of positive activities for young people has turned to the key issue of when and where activities are delivered. In the 2008 Crime and Communities review Engaging Communities and Fighting Crime the issue of youth crime was addressed, as were recommendations for how public sector bodies and their delivery partners could better target anti-crime interventions.43 The report noted that 69% of people it surveyed thought that youth crime was higher than it was ten years ago and, whilst people differed in their interpretation of the causes of youth crime, the report concluded that there is ‘common agreement that children and young people need something to do and somewhere to go to keep them out of trouble at night’.44 It went on to state that for the Government ‘this is an obvious priority for action’.

The main problem identified in regard to positive activity provision in the Crime and Communities review related to the traditions of youth work and, more specifically, the issue of when and where activities are staged. It noted that youth services traditionally ‘operated on the same terms and conditions as teachers’ meaning that they did not run activities during school holidays, in the evenings or at weekends. When the report surveyed the public and community activists on which nights of the week it was most important for youth facilities to be available, Friday was the most popular, closely followed by Saturday. This is unsurprising when, as the report notes, incidents of anti-social behaviour committed by young people are highest on these nights.

Concerns over the lack of positive activity provision on Friday and Saturday night have continued to grow since the publication of the Crime and Communities review. In July 2009, the DCSF commissioned the National Youth Agency (NYA) to provide recommendations for expanding weekend evening provision for young people,45 and in the same month the Government launched its Open Weekend. This was designed, as part of the wider Aiming High strategy, to focus attention on the increasing need for positive activity provision on Friday and Saturday nights. It was also a key part of the Government’s Youth Crime Action Plan (which specifically addressed Friday and Saturday night provision) and its ‘Tackling Knives Action Programme’. 46

Since its inception Kickz has taken an intelligence-led, area-based approach to targeting provision. Through projects’ extensive networks of local partners, and through their detailed consultations with young people, activities are targeted at areas most in need of assistance with regard to alleviating crime and anti-social behaviour, tackling more general deprivation and filling gaps in youth provision. The timing of sessions is also influenced by local intelligence on key ‘problem times’ and knowledge of when other service providers may not be offering activities.

Given this context, it can be seen that Kickz is currently a national leader in concentrating activity provision on Friday and Saturday nights. This is notable when, as has recently been reported, some statutory sector youth workers are actually resistant to providing more positive activities for young people on Fridays and Saturdays because of fears that such activities may attract young people who have been drinking.48 Instead of shying away from such ‘difficult issues’, Kickz projects have been confident in taking sessions to young people at weekends because of their belief that positive activities can help improve problems such as teenage alcohol abuse.

It is important to note that Kickz is not only delivering significant numbers of activity sessions at the ‘right times’, but is also following best practice principles of how to deliver weekend activity provision. In the recent NYA report mentioned earlier, a series of key points were made regarding the most effective ways for activity providers to deliver Friday and Saturday night activities. These included the need for :

• High levels of partnership working • The delivery of structured and unstructured activities (ranging from

formal sport and arts sessions to simple ‘places to chill’)• Young people to be involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of

provision• Activities to be challenging and fun• Outreach approaches to engage the most vulnerable and ‘hard to

reach’ young people• Young people to establish their own codes of acceptable behaviour• Police engagement in activity provision, especially as a way to break

down barriers between the police and young people• Interventions which change young people’s behaviour and improve

longer-term outcomes, rather than just keeping young people occupied.49

Kickz – A national leader in Friday/Saturday activity

This Kickz approach has resulted in almost every football club involved in the delivery of Kickz offering at least one regular session on a Friday and/or Saturday night.

In fact as part of the three nights a week of provision, 91% of all Kickz projects deliver activity on a Friday and/or Saturday evening.

The outstanding performance of Kickz in delivering weekend evening provision can be better evaluated by comparing the programme to other activity providers. In winter 2008-09, Substance conducted a mapping exercise for DCSF as part of its Information and Signposting project.47 Based on an audit of activity provision for young people across 81 local authority areas, it found that:

Only 4.46% of local authority activities were delivered on Friday nights. Less than 1% of local authority activities were delivered on Saturday nights.

The research also found that even the best performing local authority areas were delivering:Less than a fifth of total provision on Friday nights and around 3% of provision on Saturday nights.

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As has been evidenced throughout this report, the Kickz programme exemplifies all of these points. Through promoting partnership working with the police and others, and its commitment to consultation with young people, the programme is currently setting the benchmark for balancing community concerns with young people’s wishes when designing provision. Its core belief in retaining and developing young people over long periods of time also marks the programme out as a leading example of contemporary youth practice.

It is also worth mentioning that, in accordance with recommendations made recently by Substance to DCSF, Kickz is even further ahead of many activity providers in not only being able to demonstrate that it is offering activities on Friday and Saturday nights, but also in being able to provide evidence that large numbers of young people are taking up such activities. Through data produced by the programme’s comprehensive approach to monitoring and evaluation, it can be seen that in 2008-09:

• Over 120,600 aggregate attendances were achieved by Kickz projects on Friday and Saturday nights (38.5% of all attendances)

• Over 313,000 aggregate contact hours were delivered on Friday and Saturday nights (40% of all contact hours).

This evidence is testament to the need for additional activities in the places and times where/when Kickz projects are being delivered, and also their popularity with the programme’s target group.

KEY MESSAGE:When compared to many other activity providers, Kickz can be seen as a national leader in delivering successful activities on Friday and Saturday nights, with 91% of all projects including activity on one or both of these days. This is particularly impressive in relation to local authority youth provision, where only 4% of activities are delivered on a Friday night and less than 1% on a Saturday. The 2008 report Engaging Communities and Fighting Crime noted that incidents are higher on these nights and surveys of the public marked these evenings as being the most important for youth provision. Numerous other strategies focus attention on the importance of this issue including the Government’s Youth Crime Action Plan and Tackling Knives Action Programme.

Kickz is also adopting best practice principles in the delivery of its Friday and Saturday night provision, working together with local partners and the young people who engage. The programme is also leading the way in being able to evidence the attractiveness and take up of its weekend provision by young people. Each project operates at least three evenings a week, with differing combinations of days, however Friday and Saturday evenings account for over 40% of all contact hours.

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6.0 Where Every Child MattersSince its launch, the Kickz programme aligned itself to the Every Child Matters outcomes framework. Impressive results have been achieved across all five of its core strands, further demonstrating the impact of projects and contributions to national and local government agendas.

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6.1Introducing Every Child Matters

It is the Government’s belief that positive activities can produce numerous positive outcomes for young people. This includes reducing their chances of involvement in crime and anti-social behaviour, but also extends far beyond this specific outcome. Indeed, it is the comprehensive nature of the potential outcomes that has seen positive activities gain such recent importance within children and young people’s policies.

In 2003, the Government set out its new outcomes framework for children and young people through the Every Child Matters (ECM): Change for Children policy.50 This set out a ‘support led’ approach to encouraging young people’s progression, with the aim that every child would be able to:

• Be healthy• Stay safe• Enjoy and achieve• Make a positive contribution• Achieve economic wellbeing.

Since 2003, ECM has been adopted as a common framework against which all children and young people’s services must evidence their achievements. The Kickz programme, and other initiatives in the ‘Culture and Play Sector’, are said to have a ‘unique role to play’ in delivery of ECM outcomes, specifically in reaching out to children and young people through positive activity provision. For Kickz, therefore, it is vital to be able to demonstrate how it is contributing to the full range of ECM outcomes in order to retain and generate support from various sectors of national and local government.

Whilst the ECM framework is now five years old, the Government has continued to publish new children and young people strategies and delivery plans which reflect its core principles. The 2007 Children’s Plan51 and, more latterly, documentation supporting PSA Delivery Agreement 1452 – ‘increase the number of children and young people on the path to success’ – are both underpinned by the ECM framework and, notably, a keen assertion of the value of positive activities in delivering wide-ranging outcomes for young people. In PSA 14 documentation, for instance, it is stated that:

Through participation, young people develop socially and emotionally, building communication skills and improving self confidence and esteem. This in turn increases their resilience, helping them avoid risks...as well as contributing to better attendance and higher attainment at school.53

There is also a commitment in the Children’s Plan that by 2020 all young people will be participating in positive activities.

Before moving on to analyse Kickz’ performance against the various elements of ECM, it is important to point out that, as with crime and anti-social behaviour policies, the framework – whilst set nationally – is implemented and monitored primarily by local authorities. In 2007, the Government published its new 199 national indicators for local authorities from which each authority selects a ‘basket’ of indicators against which its performance is measured. A significant number of these relate directly or indirectly to the ECM framework. In the next subsection, assessments are made of how Kickz is contributing to both the ECM framework and individual elements within the national indicator set.

50 See http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/51 See http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/childrensplan/52 Public Service Agreement 14 is shared by a number of Government departments including DSCF, DCMS and the Home Office53 HM Treasury (2008) PSA Delivery Agreement 14: Increase the number of children and young people on the path to success (London: HM Government)

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6.2Achieving multiple ECM outcomes

A variety of case studies from across the country follow under each of the five main headings of the ECM framework. In many cases, the stories reflect the holistic approach that Kickz adopts to the multiple challenges facing young people within the challenging communities where projects are based. Outputs and outcomes are often multi-faceted with connection to several and, in some cases, all five of the ECM framework strands.

Case Study: Boxing clever with Blackburn Rovers

The following case study demonstrates four of the five ECM outcomes, namely: Be Healthy, Stay Safe, Enjoy and Achieve and Make a Positive Contribution.

Kickz had been running for over two years through Blackburn Rovers Community Trust and their partners. Staff felt that although numbers were good, further work was needed to engage more of the ‘hard-to-reach’ young people in the area. In particular, some were known to cause trouble around the facility used for sessions. Staff opened dialogue with them to see what they would like to do. After getting positive feedback from these individuals, a flexible session on Saturdays was introduced, including boxing at a local gym.

Iblal was seen as a local ‘ringleader’ and therefore an ideal candidate to become a role model to the others. He was not doing much throughout the week but showed an interest towards boxing with good commitment. Since he had attended the same school as many of the young people, staff also felt that Iblal could assist by volunteering to help gain more respect from the young people during the football sessions. He willingly volunteered to help. With his continued learning and development as an individual, he was rewarded with a pair of boxing boots and shorts bearing the Kickz logo.

Barry Higginson (Head boxing coach) summarised Iblal; “He has shown leadership skills from the start and is highly respected by his peers. Iblal is a quiet, determined, enthusiastic, and confident young man and really enjoys his boxing. Iblal is now a regular at the boxing club on a nightly basis and has also been sparring at other clubs. Through his popularity and respect in the community he has interested others to train at the boxing club during the weeknights.”

With his continued development Iblal was talent spotted and asked to register as an Amateur Boxer, taking part in competitive bouts. Through the programme, Iblal has developed and progressed as an individual. He has come to realise what influence he has on others and how he can become a positive role model for a lot of young people within the community.

6.3Programme performance

The subsections on the following pages demonstrate performance against each of the five main outcome areas from ECM.

KEY MESSAGE:Kickz is very well positioned to deliver against the agenda, with an abundance of case studies available at projects. Outputs and outcomes are often connected to several and in some cases, all five of the ECM framework strands.

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6.3.1Being healthy

The Being healthy strand of ECM specifically targets the following issues for young people:

• Physical health• Mental and emotional health• Healthy lifestyles• Reducing substance misuse• Sexual health.

Kickz makes a very significant contribution to the Being Healthy element of the ECM agenda, with many projects delivering on all five of the sub-targets detailed above.

Whilst mapping national indicators against any element of the ECM framework is always open to interpretation, for the purposes of analysis here the NIs which can be said to most closely relate to Kickz’ areas of specialism are:

• NI 50 – Emotional health of children• NI 57 – Children and young people’s participation in high-quality

PE and sport• NI 110 – Young people’s participation in positive activities• NI 112 – Under 18 conception rate• N 113 – Prevalence of Chlamydia in under 25 year olds• NI 115 – Substance misuse by young people.

In the past year, Kickz has continued to make significant impacts against health agendas. The programme’s model of delivering three sessions per week across 48 weeks of the year ensures that it positively influences young people’s general levels of physical health simply by offering them additional opportunities to exercise. More specifically, though, in the past year, the programme can be said to have delivered the following examples of health-related outputs and personal outcomes:

Being Healthy components National Indicators Example outputs and personal outcomes in the last year 2008-09

Example of delivery

Physically healthy NI 57 5,506 records of significant improvements in health/physical fitness

A variety of regular sporting activity and specific fitness sessions ranging from gym work to yoga

Mentally and emotionally healthy

NI 50 2,157 attendances at personal/social/health development sessions

Confidence and team building sessions/opportunities, plus 1-1 mentoring

Healthy lifestyles NI 57NI110

16,650 positive activity sessions delivered

Healthy eating workshops from nutritionists and other professionals

Sexually healthy NI 112NI 113

5,000 RU Thinking? Sexual Health booklets have been distributed to participants

Project staff link in with experts from the PCT in order to deliver workshops

Reducing substance misuse NI 115 19,990 young people engaged in alternative, constructive activity

Staff training on substance misuse and delivery at sessions by Drug Alcohol Action Teams

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To explain further how Kickz is meeting health agendas, it is useful to present case studies which illustrate the programme’s unique and engaging methods for sharing health messages with young people.

Case Study: Chelsea’s holistic approach to Being Healthy

Through partnership work between the football club community staff and a range of specialist partners and professionals, healthy lifestyle & educational workshops have been delivered at the Kickz flexi-night sessions. They were often in conjunction with football tournament nights and complemented by one-to-one advice by qualified professionals such as dieticians and a state registered nurse from the borough’s PCT. Session content included:

• Health MOT checks – including BMI (Body Mass Index), blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure tests

• Drugs awareness – classroom based discussion• Fitness and Nutrition – educational and activity based delivery

with Chelsea fitness instructors• Football ‘performance’ sessions, including benefits of warm-ups and

cool down to improve performance and injury prevention• Confidence and concentration promotion sessions, linked to

focusing on specific tasks• A variety of other sports with a focus on their specialist health related benefits including: boxing (focus and discipline) and athletics (core physical skills of running, jumping, power and stamina)

• Fitness for football – linked to Chelsea FC 1st team professional requirements

• Sexual health workshops and information on Chlamydia testing.

Depending on local issues and need, many Kickz clubs have effectively delivered similar sessions to those outlined above. The following quotes and case studies expand on specific aspects.

“I have been doing Sutton Kickz since it started. Prior to the Kickz starting I spent a lot of time hanging around the streets. Since the project started I have been involved in playing football but also attending the workshops. The workshops have been helpful as they have focused on many issues including the dangers of drugs and the effects. I’ve taken this on board and I do not do drugs anymore. Additionally being able to play in the tournaments has been good as I have been able to enjoy meeting new people. Basically, Kickz has changed me.” Participant, Crystal Palace Kickz (Sutton)

Case Study: Arsenal’s sexual health workshops and Chlamydia testing

In 2007, 65% of Chlamydia, 55% of Genital Warts and 50% of Gonorrhoea cases were diagnosed in 16-24 year olds despite them making up only 12% of the population. In recognition, Arsenal and their partners brought in Junior, a Chlamydia Outreach worker, to talk to the older participants at their Kickz sessions.

Junior said: “It was a good turn-out tonight. I feel it’s very important that kids today learn about how they can protect themselves and also get treatment. Our aim is to better educate children and make testing/treatment more accessible to them, and do so in a way that’s less embarrassing.”

Young people from Westminster Kickz said:“I was nervous at first but Junior made the workshop fun and interesting. All of us are really grateful for it as we know we wouldn’t do a test or learn about it otherwise.”

“It was good to learn about STIs. In school or at home nobody really teaches us so this was a good workshop to go to.”

The Kickz programme has also worked in partnership with the DCSF’s, RU Thinking? campaign to develop targeted materials and encourage more projects to deliver work in this area.

“Over the past year the RU Thinking? campaign’s partnership with the Kickz project has gone from strength to strength. Over 5,000 skills booklets have been distributed to 11-16 year olds nationwide, all of which signpost the campaign website and phone line for information and advice. Furthermore, this partnership has enabled us to facilitate meetings between Teenage Pregnancy Coordinators (TPCs) and their local Kickz projects. So far, nine projects have established relationships with their local TPC to run sessions, with many more registering their interest. Such activity helps to effect real positive change in local communities, and positive feedback has been received from TPCs and young people.”Fiona Bell, DCSF – Young People Team

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Kickz clubs community staff are increasingly creative in using the power of football and their influential brands, often adapting educational messages in the context of the professional game. The following case studies from Millwall and Watford demonstrate the ‘Train like a Pro’ concept that has now been used by many clubs during school holiday periods to focus young people’s minds on a range of issues.

Case Study: Young people in Southwark get ‘Pro Training’ with Millwall

Easter saw young people from Rotherhithe and Peckham take part in an intensive week of football coaching and games under the banner ‘Train like a Pro’. A range of training practices, workshops and tactical sessions took place ahead of competing against each other in an organised match on the Friday.

Millwall players visited the camps to share the message that ability, hard work and good attitude are needed to make the grade as a professional football player. In a question and answer session, young people quizzed the players on their diets and lifestyle habits, as well as enquiring as to how good they were as players when they were growing up.

Case Study: Watford’s ‘Train like a Pro’ week helps cohesion across London boroughs

Train like a Pro weeks are very popular, despite being quite physical, with aspects to develop the participants’ stamina, speed, agility and quickness (SAQ). They also focus on elements of the game such as tactics, teamwork, leadership and set pieces. At the end of the week, the Hillingdon Kickz Team played an 11 a-side football match against Watford’s Harrow Kickz Team. The professional theme continued from start to finish – each team had their own changing room where they got into their match kit and were given a team talk based on what they had learnt over the past week.

The concept not only develops young people’s attitude to physical fitness, but can help with issues such as self-esteem and strengthening community spirit as groups of young people push themselves towards collective goals.

Case Study: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes Kickz training

As part of the build up to his testimonial, Manchester United’s reserve team coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, came to the Barclays Spaces for Sports site which is home to their Kickz session in Old Trafford. He delivered an inspirational training session, putting the young people through their paces and preparing them for their friendly match against the Blackburn Rovers Kickz team.

“The session was a fantastic opportunity and insight into first team training. I learnt many different professional coaching techniques.”Ali Hanif, Volunteer and Kickz participant

KEY MESSAGE:The programme’s impact on young people’s health is particularly impressive, making a vast contribution to Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) targets on the hours of weekly physical activity undertaken by individuals, all year round. Along with improvements in mental and emotional health, creative approaches linked to sports science and demands of the professional game, are engaging and educating young people to review their lifestyle choices and target improvements in health and fitness.

Through partnerships with specialist agencies and workforce training, Kickz also delivers well received sessions on issues such as drug and alcohol misuse, nutrition, sexual health and teenage pregnancy. Since Kickz areas include significant health deprivation, the programme can play an important role in assisting the DCMS, Department of Health and local authorities in meeting their targets.

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6.3.2Stay Safe

The Stay Safe strand of ECM challenges service providers to keep children and young people:

• Safe from maltreatment• Safe from accidental injury and death• Safe from bullying and discrimination• Safe from crime and anti-social behaviour in and out of school• Have security, stability and be cared for.

Whilst much of the Stay Safe agenda is focused on the protection of vulnerable young people who may be in, or are at risk of entering, the care system (a specific focus which is not a core objective for Kickz), over the past twelve months the programme has continued to contribute to the Stay Safe agenda by keeping young people safe from accidental injury, safe from bullying and safe from crime and anti-social behaviour.

The NIs which are most closely aligned with Kickz areas of specialism within the Stay Safe agenda are:

• NI 28 – Serious knife crime• NI 29 – Gun crime rate• NI 69 – Children who have experienced bullying• NI 70 – Hospital admissions caused by unintentional and deliberate

injuries to children and young people.

In 2008-09, Kickz has contributed to the safety of participants, not least by providing them with alternative, safe places to go on project nights. Whilst, as shown throughout this report, Kickz is more than a simple diversionary programme, the simple fact that it offers young people controlled, well supervised environments in which to ‘hang out’ impacts greatly on their safety (especially if they were previously spending time on the streets). The programme has also continued to address young people’s safety more generally through the provision of advice and specific workshops relating to various aspects of crime and anti-social behaviour.

Examples of the ways in which Kickz has delivered specific outputs and personal outcomes relating to the Stay Safe agenda are presented below.

There are numerous examples of the innovative ways in which projects have contributed to the safety of participants. Other sections in this report also focus on this area including those on Crime and ASB in section 5 and the description of Kickz anti-knife crime work in section 7.

Stay Safe components National Indicators Example outputs and personal outcomes

Example of delivery

Safe from accidental injury and death

NI 70 779,127 safe aggregate contact hours delivered to young people in the past year

Thousands of young people have taken part in Be Safe workshops on the dangers of carrying weapons

Safe from bullying and discrimination

NI 69 5,430 recorded incidents of improved social/teamwork skills amongst young people

Numerous events and workshops focus on integrating young people from all backgrounds and improving relationships between areas

Safe from crime and anti-social behaviour in and out of school

NI 28NI 29

3,184 attendances at Be Safeanti-crime/safety workshops

Thousands of young people have taken part in workshops on personal safety and avoiding becoming a victim of crime

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The Kickz effect – building community spirit and improved relationships among young people

The following case studies and quotes demonstrate what has become a powerful emergent theme from Kickz projects across the country. They reflect opinions from young people, project partners and residents reporting an improved feeling of safety, community spirit and better relationships between young people. In an abundant number of cases, the universal appeal of football and Kickz projects’ wider engagement can be seen to have provided a safe forum and neutral territory to address a variety of issues. Projects’ have often helped address a ‘tense atmosphere’ in many of the areas, simply because such opportunities to bring young people together had not previously existed. This trend fits perfectly with the Kickz vision to ‘Build safer, stronger, more respectful communities, through the development of young peoples’ potential’.

“The community is a lot different now I think. The difference Kickz has made is that everyone knows everyone else a lot better. We get on with the younger lot now, and they join in. Also we don’t get hardly any hassle from people who live in the estate because they know we are only there to play football.

“Since the Kickz has been there we have kind of made up our own little football community, where we train and work together as a team and it has made the area we live in better because everyone kinda knows everyone now and gets on a lot better.”Ozzy and Gideon, Fulham Kickz (Kingston)

“We can now say ‘alright’ to the older ones if you see them in the street, where before we would have been a bit intimidated.”Participant, Arsenal Kickz

“I’ve been a detached youth worker for the past 20 years, working on the estates and side streets. During this time there have been many serious incidents of youth disturbance and fighting between young people from Hackney and the south side of Islington. Some of these conflicts were battles from before I worked in the area. The football has brought together groups that traditionally have been in conflict with each other.”Roger Elderton, Youth Worker, Islington, Arsenal Kickz

Case Study: Dagenham & Redbridge – Peace Week

The steering group in Barking and Dagenham decided to link in anti-weapons workshops with Peace Week celebrations in 2008. To end the week a community game of football was organised for all those that had trained for a newly established ‘community team’ and had attended the workshop. The game took place on the first team pitch at Dagenham & Redbridge against the other Kickz project from the borough run by West Ham (pictured below).

“The success of the community game brought in a real change of attitude towards the project. The young people found their voices and have taken a greater interest in steering the projects activities, more are volunteering help and are expressing that they would like to gain awards or qualifications.”Dawn Nicholls, Dagenham and Redbridge Kickz

“I loved playing in the community team, I felt like a real pro. It brought us all together and we now want to do more.”Chris, Kickz Participant

“Kickz is great as it brings in all the different groups of people in and around Aston, who normally don’t see eye to eye with each other. It gets them playing football together as if any argument or tiff that has taken place outside of Kickz hadn’t happened.”Alex, participant, Aston Villa Kickz

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Case Study: Brentford’s team building between London boroughs

During the summer holiday period, young people from the six Kickz projects (across three London boroughs), delivered by Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, were taken to an Outdoor Activity Centre. Almost all the activities were new experiences for the young people, being partly designed to give opportunities to interact with and think differently about, others from neighbouring estates. The team and confidence building challenges included the likes of: high and low ropes, abseiling, rock climbing and raft making.

Within the raft building, the young people were separated into two teams made up of different projects merged together to help dispel any territorial issues. Communication skills and team work between young people from different areas was soon evident, with the young people realising that they would need to trust one another, to build a secure raft that they would be able to race, on the lake, against the others.

Such activities beyond sessions not only prove useful in improving relationships between young people, but also further strengthen the trust between staff and participants; presenting the opportunity to address sensitive subjects such as tension between different areas.

6.3.3Make a Positive Contribution

The Make a Positive Contribution strand of ECM seeks to encourage service providers to ensure children and young people:

• Engage in decision making and support the community and environment

• Engage in law-abiding and positive behaviour in and out of school• Develop positive relationships and choose not to bully or

discriminate• Develop self-confidence and successfully deal with significant life

changes and challenges• Engage in enterprising behaviour.

The focus of this strand of ECM is primarily on ensuring that young people are positive, engaged members of their local communities who are not involved in crime or anti-social behaviour. Individual Kickz projects make contributions across this agenda, but the programme nationally specialises particularly in supporting the first four elements of the strand.

There is a large number of NIs which focus on positive civic engagement, people’s perceptions of the areas in which they live and their experiences and/or perceptions of crime/anti-social behaviour. The NIs which most closely reflect the Kickz programme’s areas of specialism are:

• NI 3 – Civic participation in the local area• NI 6 – Participation in regular volunteering• NI 17 – Perceptions of anti-social behaviour • NI 19 – Rate of proven re-offending by young offenders• NI 21 – Dealing with concerns about ASB and crime by the local

council and police• NI 23 – Perceptions that people in the area treat one another with

respect and dignity• NI 25 – Satisfaction of different groups with the way the police and

local council dealt with ASB• NI 28 – Serious knife crime• NI 29 – Gun crime rate• NI 41 – Perceptions of drunk or rowdy behaviour as a problem• NI 42 – Perceptions of drug use or drug dealing as a problem• NI 69 – Children who have experienced bullying• NI 110 – Young people’s participation in positive activities• NI 111 – First time entrants to the youth justice system aged 10-17.

Examples of the ways in which Kickz has delivered specific outputs and personal outcomes relating to the Enjoy and Achieve agenda are presented on the next page.

Kickz projects across the country are approaching the Make a Positive Contribution agenda in a variety of ways with opportunities available to all participants irrespective of their age or background.

KEY MESSAGE:A major strength of Kickz is in addressing a range of young people’s safety issues in support of the Home Office and Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) policy agendas. Kickz provides safe places to go and positive things to do and goes further with the provision of advice and specific workshops relating to a variety of societal issues faced by young people.

A clear and consistent message from participants is that projects are improving the feeling of safety and community spirit, primarily as a result of improved relationships between young people of different ages and backgrounds. Participants report improvements in tense atmospheres, due to the fact that regular, safe and popular activities have been provided at key times.

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Case Study: West Ham – Improving facilities for other young people

Following consultation with Kickz participants to develop new ideas and improve flexible provision at Kickz sessions, young people expressed a desire to have an on-site gym and IT facility where they would be able to take part in additional training and complete homework assignments. These facilities would also be used for outside agencies to deliver classroom based training programmes where young people could complete a wider variety of accredited qualifications.

Despite a tight deadline, 10 Kickz volunteers from Newham led a successful bid to the London Borough of Newham’s Youth Capital Fund, and raised £54,000 to upgrade the facilities at West Ham Community Trust’s Beckton training ground.

The group split into three teams: one to produce the text for the application, one to work on the design of the new facilities (with an architect) and one to obtain statistical information and costs. Each week the teams worked independently to complete their assigned tasks before presenting their work to the group for inclusion in the final draft.

The London Borough of Newham cited their project as an example of best practice and praised the work done by both the young people (pictured right) involved and the West Ham United Community Trust staff.

Make a Positive Contribution Component

National Indicators Outputs and personal outcomes Example of delivery

Engage in decision making and support the community and environment

NI 3NI 6

Over 2,200 young people have volunteered through Kickz

Significant numbers of volunteers have engaged in clean up operations linked to the Kickz project locations

Engage in law-abiding and positive behaviour in and out of school

NI 17NI 19NI 21NI 23NI 25NI 28NI 29NI 40NI 42NI 111

1,153 records of general or significant positive engagement with project activities

Codes of conduct are developed with the young people, volunteers and staff agreeing boundaries and behaviour standards for all activities

Develop positive relationships and choose not to bully or discriminate

NI 69 2,102 records of improved behaviour amongst participants

Projects actively aim to improve relationships between young people from different backgrounds/social groups and with the authorities

Develop self confidence and successfully deal with significant life changes and challenges

NI 69NI 111

4,030 records of increased confidence/self-esteem

Trusted relationships are developed with staff who support, mentor and advise young people where possible

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Case Study – Reading’s resident fundraising referee

Gary is living proof that you can’t keep a good person down. He suffers from a form of disability where one side of his body is partly paralysed, hampering his mobility. This also affects his balance and co-ordination, meaning he tires very quickly. At times, Gary uses a wheelchair as he finds walking and general movement difficult, although he participates with able bodied members of Kickz during team games. He never complains, and if anything is more determined to succeed and showcase his talent to us all.

Not satisfied with this, Gary also completed a sponsored run and walk for a Multiple Sclerosis charity. This is obviously a cause very close to Gary’s heart, and his determination in the face of adversity is to be admired. He managed to complete a total of ten laps of the 400m track at Palmer Park in Reading, raising a large amount of money for charity in the process. Gary tired and found walking very difficult towards the end, but his determination to raise as much money as possible was an inspiration to all. Gary is also the Kickz resident referee, complete with whistles, notebooks and the dreaded red card. He loves to referee, and he is fantastic with his decision making and knowledge of the game. The rest of the group have a huge amount of respect for Gary, and without him, the tournaments would simply not be the same. He always helps things run smoothly, whether it’s organising teams, explaining rules or checking the playing area is safe.

6.3.4Achieve Economic Wellbeing

The final strand of ECM, Achieve Economic Wellbeing, aims to ensure young people:

• Engage in further education, employment or training on leaving• Are ready for employment• Live in decent homes and sustainable communities• Have access to transport and material goods• Live in households free from low income.

This strand of ECM has two primary focuses: to reduce the number of children and young people living in poverty, and to improve the employment prospects of young people growing up in relative deprivation. In the past year, Kickz projects have continued to make contributions to this strand by working to develop new pathways into education, employment and training for participants and by ensuring they are ‘ready for work’.

The NIs which are most closely aligned with the Kickz programme’s contributions to the Achieve Economic Wellbeing agenda are:

• NI 91 – Participation of 17 year olds in education or training• NI 106 – Young people from low income backgrounds progressing

to higher education• NI 117 – 16 to 18 year olds who are not in education, employment

or training (NEET).

The table below provides examples of specific ways in which Kickz has delivered against the Achieve Economic Wellbeing agenda in the past year.

In 2008-09, a number of individual Kickz projects have experienced great success in progressing participants into education, employment and training. This is highlighted in detail in the volunteering section of this report.

KEY MESSAGE:Projects provide an attractive option and range of ways for young people to positively contribute to their communities, both as individuals and as teams. Impressive volunteering figures and case studies provide particularly tangible evidence of this. Examples range from engaging in clean up operations of project facilities, to enterprising groups of young people successfully working together to secure funding to enhance facilities at their project and within the local community.

The programme has consequently recorded over 4,000 notable improvements in individuals’ confidence and self-esteem, further equipping the young people to deal with significant life changes and challenges.

Achieve Economic Wellbeing component

National Indicators Outputs and personal outcomes Example of delivery

Engage in further education, employment or training on leaving

NI 91NI 106NI 117

61% of part-time Kickz volunteers went onto education, training or employment. 17% progressed to another volunteering opportunity

Kickz projects directly offer a range of training, accreditation, volunteering and employment opportunities

Ready for employment NI 91NI 106NI 117

170 records of participants have gained employment with host clubs since the programme began

Projects assist in a variety of ways including CV writing support, apprenticeships and volunteering opportunities to build experience and skills

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Case Study – Becoming ‘job ready’ with Crystal Palace Kickz

Recognising that young people are often ill-prepared to launch themselves into the job market, lacking the necessary skills such as inter-personal and presentation qualities, Crystal Palace and their partners provided a series of training workshops to develop employability skills and provide support in the form of one-to-one mentoring. Young people from Kickz were invited to take part in a programme designed to specifically support 16-25yr olds as they enter the job market.

Confidence, self-esteem and a range of soft skills were promoted in order to develop the young people to be ‘job ready’ for employers. In partnership with vocational trainers, careers advisors, educational institutions, businesses and industry, Crystal Palace aims to move beneficiaries on into a variety of employment, volunteering, training or apprenticeship schemes and support them during their transition into the work environment.

Case Study – Adam’s interview – Arsenal’s steer onto the employment path

“(Before Kickz), I would walk around the park at night with my pals and drink and smoke and have jokes. I wouldn’t get home until around 3am. I didn’t like school very much – I got into the wrong crowd and bunked off a lot.

“I presumed you’d be just like the rest of the guys that came around – I didn’t think that we would see you guys in 6 months time. The crew thought that you guys were with the police and all you wanted from us was details so you could pass them on and grass us up. But now I can see past all that and I understand that all you lot want to do is help us better ourselves.

“We saw Ryan get a part-time job and we asked how he did it. After your advice, I got my Level 1 with the help of you and Ryan and volunteered for four months and because of my hard work I was given the opportunity to work part-time.

“When I went to school, I didn’t get on with the teachers. I don’t think they understood me. I could see we could talk to you on a level and you wouldn’t judge me or try to make me do something that I didn’t want to do.

“I feel more confident with myself and what I want from life – where before I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to help my mum out so I did some things that I am not happy with, but you have to do it. That put massive pressure on me and I didn’t feel comfortable with it but now I can help my mum out and help myself out with rent and new trainers and tops.

“Before I was anti-work and was happy to sit around and didn’t even think about work. Now I can see that I can achieve things that before I thought I could never do. I can make people around me proud of what I am doing with my life and shut the people up who said I would not do anything with my life and that’s down to you and Kickz.

“I want to complete my FA Level 2 and get my qualifications in youth work and show the younger guys that you don’t have to hustle to earn your money. Show them if you listen and put your mind to it you can achieve great things and to look at me as an example and to tell them if I can do it then why can’t they?”

KEY MESSAGE:The programme introduction and focus on creating a culture of volunteering (particularly for those over 16yrs), has acted as a catalyst for many young people to reengage in, or find further pathways into education, employment and training.

As schemes have become established and unemployment has been raised up the political agenda, increasing numbers of projects are aiming to improve the employability prospects of participants. Along with enhancing the content of a young person’s CV, practical skills such as CV writing are promoted in partnership with vocational trainers, careers advisors and educational institutions. Development of softer skills, such as interpersonal and teamwork qualities, further enhance young people’s chances of being considered ‘job ready’ by potential employers.

Kickz projects can therefore contribute to DCSF and Department for Work and Pensions’ policy priorities by acting as important intermediaries between young people, educational opportunities and pathways to employment.

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6.3.5Enjoy and Achieve

The Enjoy and Achieve strand of ECM is concerned with ensuring children and young people:

• Are ready for school• Attend and enjoy school• Achieve stretching national standards at primary school• Achieve personal and social development and enjoy recreation• Achieve stretching national standards at secondary school.

The Enjoy and Achieve agenda is focused to some degree on educational achievement and engagement amongst children who are younger than those targeted by Kickz. However, in the past year the programme has continued to make significant contributions to three main elements of the agenda: attend and enjoy school, achieve personal and social development, and achieve stretching national standards at secondary school.

There is a large number of mainly educationally-focused NIs which relate to the Enjoy and Achieve agenda. For the purposes of analysis here, however, the NIs which are most closely aligned with Kickz areas of specialism are:

• NI 11 – Engagement in the arts• NI 57 – Children and young people’s participation in high-quality

PE and sport• NI 110 – Young people’s participation in positive activities• NI 114 – Rate of permanent exclusions from school• NI 199 – Children’s and young people’s satisfaction with parks and

play areas.

In 2008-09, Kickz has continued to support young people’s engagement with education and – as has been shown throughout this report – other forms of positive participation. Many projects act as alternative sources of personal and social education and a large number work specifically to progress and/or reintroduce participants and volunteers into education and training.

The table below provides examples of specific contributions made by Kickz projects to the Enjoy and Achieve agenda in the past year.

Enjoy and Achieve Component

NationalIndicators

Example outputs and personal outcomes in the past year

Achieve stretching national standards at secondary school

NI 110 740 extra-curriculum qualifications registered

Achieve personal and social development and enjoy recreation

NI 11NI 57NI 110NI 199

313,829 aggregate attendances at positive activity sessions

Attend and enjoy school NI 114 98 specific incidents of improved educational engagement and/or performance

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There are numerous examples of specific ways in which Kickz projects have provided young people with opportunities to (re)engage with mainstream or alternative education.

Case Study: Confiding in coaches – gaining confidence with Leyton Orient

David had been a regular at Leyton Orient Kickz for most of the year. He had always found it challenging to interact with other young people at the session and in particular, the “banter” that is often apparent between young lads his age. He found it hard to understand and at one stage was rightly upset, because an individual had taken things too far and inappropriately spoken about his father. Despite the coaching staff dealing quickly with the ‘offender’, David found the incident hard to take and was deeply upset.

Having known him for some time, David felt comfortable enough to confide in one of the coaches, saying he was finding it hard at home, with the only thing he enjoyed being the sessions. He was finding it hard partly because his mum spoke limited English and it was difficult to understand her. He also said that he had never met his father, and he found it easiest to speak to the coaches at the session. The Kickz staff recognised that they had become important role models for David, helping him with his social skills and building up his confidence, not only at sessions, but at school and beyond. Over time it has been noticeable that David has become more confident and comfortable in the company of other young people, even engaging in the light hearted banter himself. He really enjoys his football and is always willing to learn, try and consequently achieve.

Case study: Samantha’s journey with Charlton Athletic

When Kickz began in her local area, Samantha would attend sporadically at first. Gradually her attendance increased, along with her engagement and commitment to the programme. She had faced a variety of challenges in her life, including at school and had unfortunately come to the attention of the authorities. However she remained an influential young person in the community, being looked up to by many of her peers. In looking to channel her energy in a positive way, she was used as a young leader to help the Charlton coaches organise a half-term multi-sport course in the area that included gymnastics, boxing, football, basketball and par-court. She actively participated in the multi-sports sessions experiencing new activities and encouraging the other young people to engage during the session.

After speaking to members of staff, Samantha asked to volunteer on sessions and proved to be a very positive role model to local young people on the project. As a result of this she was nominated for the Volunteer of the Year award at the national Kickz Awards at Wembley Stadium. Due to her previous behavioural issues and lack of educational attainment this was a massive boost to her confidence.

Having gone onto an apprenticeship programme she demonstrated a marked improvement in self-esteem, not least in gaining her child protection, first aid qualifications and her FA Level 1 coaching certificate.

KEY MESSAGE:Kickz projects provide important opportunities for young people in the target areas to enjoy and achieve, particularly in the form of personal and social development. The programme effectively harnesses the fact that sport can be a powerful tool in developing a range of social skills and projects further complement this, by addressing a range of other personal development issues outside of a formal education/school setting. By building trusted relationships, coaching staff can often act as a safety net for young people who are struggling with challenging social or educational issues.

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7.0 Major events and celebrating successYoung people have reported that the size of the national Kickz network and involvement of so many other professional clubs across the country gives them a sense of being part of ‘something big’. The programme’s central partners have harnessed this and the collective potential of young people across the country, with highly impacting campaigns and acclaimed events. This section highlights three examples of the programme’s extremely positive approach which have helped tackle very serious issues such as knife crime, along with celebrating the achievements of many truly inspirational young people.

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7.1National anti-knife campaign in partnership with ‘It doesn’t haveto happen’

There is no one solution to the serious injuries caused and lives lost through knife crime. However partnerships strengthen messages and help develop joined up solutions to the issue. Furthermore, the tens of thousands of young people engaged in Kickz are a prime audience for the anti-knife message – living in deprived communities and government identified Tackling Knife Action Programme areas.

The programme’s first national tournament, The Kickz Cup, captured the imagination of participants, and provided a perfect positive backdrop for uniting young people behind a Government (Home Office) campaign entitled: It Doesn’t Have to Happen. Football clubs kindly opened access to prestigious venues including academies and first team training grounds and 137 teams took part. Regional qualifying tournaments took place at Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Reading, Sheffield United, Tottenham Hotspur, Watford and West Ham. As part of a once in a lifetime opportunity, the grand finals were staged at Derby County’s Pride Park and Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadiums.

As a result, thousands of participants from challenging neighbourhoods competed and the tournaments did an excellent job in raising awareness of knife crime with young people. In turn, they took the message back home to influence thousands of other participants at regular Kickz sessions and in the surrounding communities. 92% said they would continue to take part in the campaign and 95% said they would recommend it to a friend.

“We all have a role to play in stopping the minority of young people carrying knives and getting weapons off our streets. That is why I am delighted to be working with the Kickz projects to give young people the opportunity to feel confident, make the right choices and say no to knives. The goal is not just catching the criminals – it is also about educating young people about the dangers of carrying knives and providing them with positive role models and activities to prevent them becoming involved in knife crime. That is exactly what Kickz is working to achieve in partnership with our ‘It Doesn’t Have to Happen’ campaign, to continue spreading the message that carrying a knife is not acceptable.” Jacqui Smith, Former Home Secretary

The captain of the team from Barnet FC, who went onto win the boys’ U16 title, had this to say after being handed the trophy by ex-Chelsea player Paul Elliott and Deputy Assistant Commissioner Rod Jarman from the Metropolitan Police:

“Playing at Stamford Bridge was a dream come true. It doesn’t get better than this. So many people have attended and it really makes a difference. Events like this stop young people hanging around on the street and maybe even killing each other. We’re league 2 Barnet, but give us five years and we’ll be in the Premier League!”

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Through the powerful influence of football and its brands, Kickz is increasingly acknowledged as a perfect vehicle to deliver such difficult messages, with particular impact and resonance in young peoples’ lives. Professional football club endorsement created initial awareness, with multiple Premier League and Football League teams pictured with the campaign banners. But, unlike many high profile endorsements, young people were then given a very tangible means of connecting to this, with the high status opportunity to wear professional club strips and represent their community as part of a united front with others from across the country.

As part of a number of more detailed interviews with young people at tournaments, it was apparent that for many the issue was evident in their community. In some cases the young people even knew friends and relatives who had been threatened with knives, stabbed and sadly in some cases, killed.

“I knew this one boy who carried a screwdriver. He went to rob another boy, but he managed to take the screwdriver from him and stab him instead.” Kickz Participant

The Kickz approach recognises that young people in society and at Kickz should not be stereotyped and that the most powerful force for positive change is most often, the young people themselves. In the main, participants were very aware of the issue, but uninformed on the facts and repercussions. This was made clear by the campaign and hard hitting Be Safe workshops, which took place alongside the tournaments. The workshops were very highly commended by participants and staff alike.

Following a separate evaluation by Newham Youth Offending Team of 1000 young people who admitted to being habitual knife carriers and had attended the Be Safe Project workshop, only 8.5% re-offended and only 1.75% of those were in possession of a knife.

“The pictures were real bad. But I guess that’s what happens when knives get used.” Young person, Manchester

“It made me think of what my mum and dad would be going through if I was to get involved with people who carry a knife or gun, or killed because I was in a gang.” Young person, Lambeth

“I have heard a lot of people say that prison is easy, but listening to Lee from Be Safe I now know that it isn’t. The workshop made me think.” Young person, Fulham

“I was not really looking forward to the workshop as I was here to play football, but I am glad I sat in, I found the pictures and stories gruesome, but it made me look at the way I am out on the streets when I am with my mates.” Young person, West Ham

“The workshop made me think about things. I didn’t realise that I could kill someone so easy.” Young person, Birmingham

Speaking at the first team training ground, Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp, had hundreds of young people engrossed as he delivered an inspirational speech.

“I grew up in Stepney on an estate like you and you can be anything you want to be, if you work hard and stay out of trouble. This is a great campaign and to me, only cowards carry knives.”Harry Redknapp, Tottenham Hotspur Manager

“It made me think of what my mum and dad would be going through if I was to get involved with people who carry a knife or gun, or killed because I was in a gang.” Young person, Lambeth

KEY MESSAGE:By harnessing the highly influential power of football and scale of the Kickz network, the Kickz Cup saw thousands of participants, within 137 teams, support the Home Office anti-knife campaign: It Doesn’t have to Happen. Kickz participants primarily live in Tackling Knife Action Programme Areas and are often very aware of the issue, in many cases reporting direct experience. It is common that they are uninformed on the facts and repercussions of carrying a knife, which were made clear by hard hitting Be Safe workshops. Such workshops took place alongside the tournaments which were based at prestigious professional football facilities, including grand finals at Derby County’s Pride Park and Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge. The workshops were very highly commended by participants and staff alike and 92% said they would continue with the campaign.


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7.2 The Power of Music and Football – Brit Trust Kickz partnership

Music and football have long been popular amongst young people and the two have been combined to a powerful effect at a large number of Kickz projects. Thanks to the BRIT Trust, the charitable arm of the British recording industry trade body BPI, additional funding has been granted to many clubs to bolster the music offer at their Kickz projects.

The BRIT Trust offers young people the opportunity to enhance their lives through music. The aim of their significant donation to Kickz is to improve the facilities, equipment and mentoring of young people, whilst working to develop their musical expression and ability at the participating football clubs’ projects.

Case Study: Newcastle United Foundation’s Perfect Pitch

One of the first to receive Brit Trust funding was Newcastle United Foundation’s Kickz project, as it launched its ‘Perfect Pitch’ at The Sage Music Centre in Gateshead. Young people who had an interest in music were given the chance to get together at The Sage and work towards a Bronze Arts Award in a wide range of musical genres and skills including drumming, steel pans, guitars, singing, rapping, DJing and music technology.

“I went along to the Sage for the first session and was hooked. It was brilliant! Loads of people never get the opportunity to go to the Sage, let alone have music lessons there. I went to every taster session and intend to do a 23 week music course with Kickz and the Sage next year. It has given me the opportunity to meet new people and make some good friends with similar interests and also perform in front of a live audience. I feel that without the help of the police and the Kickz staff I would have found it very hard to stay out of trouble.” Beth Thompson, participant, Newcastle United Kickz.

A parent of another participant commented that she could hardly believe the opportunity her son had been given and that solely due to Perfect Pitch, he had enrolled in a music course at Gateshead College.

Newcastle United players Jonas Gutierrez and Jose Enrique (pictured right) also paid a visit to the project. The players, attending as part of the Premier League’s ‘Creating Chances’ campaign, took part in a drumming performance with young people at the spectacular music venue on the banks of the Tyne.

To date Kickz projects that have benefited from funding from the Brit Trust include projects at: Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Brighton and Hove Albion, Manchester City, Millwall, Newcastle United, Oldham Athletic, Southend United, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion. The grants are helping a diverse range of music projects, all addressing young people’s needs in their local communities. This ranges from the Blackburn Rovers East meets West project, combining South Asian and Western musical genres to help break down racial barriers in the

community, to Millwall’s It Kickz project, which gives young people the chance to work with a variety of experts including guitarists, drummers and DJ’s, as well as getting music industry advice from other music professionals such as sound engineers, researchers and project coordinators. Many of the projects give the opportunity for young people to gain qualifications and even perform on the radio, or at professional football club stadia.

The first Kickz club to benefit were Manchester City, whose project participants performed their positive lyrics to a crowd of 5,000 people at the City of Manchester stadium. Their headline track “Why Music?” describes how football and music can be ‘ways out’ for the majority of young people who, unlike the media often portray, would rather give something positive to the community than join a gang.

At West Bromwich Albion, a permanent studio facility has been built in the redeveloped Hawthorns Stadium, which is accompanied by support from specialist music tutors and youth support workers.

“Music and football are really important to young people and we’re delighted to be working with Kickz and the Football Foundation to give young people in disadvantaged communities access to better facilities, equipment and mentoring – and to discover the positive role music can play in their lives. “Record companies – like football clubs – invest heavily into new talent every year and give thousands of young people the chance to pursue a career doing something they love.” Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive of the BPI and trustee of the BRIT Trust


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7.3 The national Kickz Awards– Countering negative stereotypes of young people

Key figures from the world of football, sport and politics joined hundreds of young people from some of the most challenging areas across the country, as the first ever Kickz Awards took place at Wembley Stadium.

Countering negative stereotypes, the event showcased the most inspiring young individuals that had made a difference to their community as part of the programme. The Awards also recognised the strong national and local partnerships that lie behind Kickz. Particular appreciation was given to those who do an exceptional job in mentoring and inspiring young people, helping transform the atmosphere in difficult neighbourhoods. The ceremony, presented by TV’s Ray Stubbs, took place at the prestigious venue as Kickz is an official charity partner of Wembley Stadium.

In 2008, Manchester City in the Community won the prestigious Club Achievement Award, having delivered two excellent youth-led Kickz projects, running on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. In just two years, the project had engaged 650 young people and hosted a pioneering North West Kickz tournament on the pitch at the City of Manchester Stadium. Over 100 young people had either volunteered, taken part in training, or gone on to gain employment.

Jamie Monteith, from the Arsenal Kickz project, won the Inspiring Young People Award for being an exceptionally positive role model who believes in young people. He was recognised for being a calming influence and mentor in an area that has seen major challenges. He inspired scores of young people to give back to their community and achieve qualifications and employment along the way.

The Young Personality of the Year Award was won by 16 year old Ardian Troski, a volunteer at Dagenham & Redbridge’s Kickz project, who personified what the awards were all about. Voted for by an anonymous ballot, his younger peers highlighted Ardian’s willingness to offer support and advice, with one saying:

“If you are in his team he makes sure that everyone is involved. If anyone has a problem they speak to Ardian and he treats you with respect.”

The award for Police Outstanding Contribution in London was won by Sergeant Darren Hepple, or ‘The Sherriff ’ as he is affectionately known by West Ham United’s Newham Kickz participants. Sergeant Hepple was recognised for dedicating his own time to secure sponsorship for a team kit and a portakabin classroom. His work and personality were deemed exceptional in breaking down barriers between the police and young people – one of the objectives of Kickz. The same award for forces outside London was won by Inspector Craig Patchett from South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield United’s Kickz project. Inspector Patchett was recognised for outstanding dedication in developing the local partnership behind the Kickz project and securing match funding to secure its sustainability. He coordinated the attendance of other police staff and helped drive the project so that it is has become a significantly positive influence in the community.

The Kickz Community Contribution Award was won by participants from Sunderland’s Kickz project who, after seeing an article in the local newspaper, took it upon themselves to raise money for a seven year old football fan who needed a specially designed wheelchair. They formed a new team and organised charity football matches against other Kickz clubs from the North East, which raised hundreds of pounds towards the cost of Luke’s chair.

“The vast majority of young people are on the right track and this splendid awards ceremony highlights the exceptional examples of young people around the country. Kickz shows that football and other sports can be a catalyst for positive change. I hope and expect people will learn from the standard set by the outstanding winners.” Vernon Coaker, Home Office Minister.


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Volunteering is an integral part of the Kickz Programme and hundreds of young people are giving back to their communities every week in support of projects up and down the country. Many are going onto to gain training and qualifications and even, in some cases, employment within the Football Clubs community departments.

To recognise the significance and importance of volunteering within Kickz, a young person from every one of the Kickz clubs was recognised on stage and presented with an award from England legend Les Ferdinand. There were some truly inspirational nominations, with young people in many cases dedicating well over 50 hours of their time to assist in a variety of ways. This ranged from helping to deliver sessions and referee tournaments, to providing assistance with administration and designing promotional material to help encourage other young people to attend.

“The Kickz Project gives thousands of young people the opportunity to receive professional coaching, while also benefiting from workshops promoting life skills and safety advice.

“The success of Kickz is not just solely about providing football opportunities for young people, but also that it allows agencies, such as the Metropolitan Police Service, the Football Foundation and Premier League to work in partnership with the local community. These national awards recognise the hard work and dedication of those who give up their time for this worthwhile cause – I’m very pleased that I am able to congratulate them personally.” Sir Paul Stephenson, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service

KEY MESSAGE:Countering negative stereotypes, the Kickz Awards event at Wembley Stadium showcased the most inspiring young individuals that make a difference to their community as part of the programme. The Awards aim to celebrate success and also recognise the strong national and local partnerships that lie behind Kickz. Particular appreciation is given to those who do an exceptional job in mentoring and inspiring young people; helping transform the atmosphere in difficult neighbourhoods.

For further information on the Kickz programme visit www.footballfoundation.org.uk/kickz

Documents

Kickz Progress Report - Monitoring and Evaluation 2009