Community Catch Up: September
Welcome to Sheffield United Community Foundation’s monthly review!
Find out what’s been happening at Sheffield United Community Foundation and what we’ve got coming up!
Premier League Kicks: Edison’s Pathway
Premier League Kicks, funded by the Premier League through the Premier League Charitable Fund, uses the power of football and sport to inspire young people to reach their potential, in some of the most high-need areas in England and Wales.
At Sheffield United Community Foundation, we run 14 Kicks sessions across the city every week. One person who has regularly attended our Kicks sessions at several of our sites is Edison, who credits the sessions with helping his development on and off the pitch.
Edison said: “I wasn’t that good at football, so I’ve used these Premier League Kicks sessions to progress and it’s been great. It provides a free football experience and the intensity of it is very good and can help improve anyone at any ability. I’m Congolese and I’ve met a few Congolese people here and I’ve also met a lot of people from other backgrounds. It’s so diverse. I’ve learned a lot from the coaches and from my peers, they’re good individuals and are role models to me.”
Get involved in one of our Premier League Kicks sessions!
Community College Applications Now Open for 25-26!
Sheffield United Community College provides students the opportunity to gain industry-accredited qualifications while being affiliated to their local professional football club.
The College offers a variety of bespoke Post-16 and Higher Education qualifications within disciplines such as Sport, Fitness, Business and Esports. Our courses are delivered across a range of purposely selected sites across Sheffield, and led by our team of qualified teachers, support staff and coaches. Our vocational focused (work-based) qualifications have been designed in conjunction with feedback from employers and industry experts, to help the students develop the skills and qualities that are required to work within the industry. A core focus of the qualifications is to provide practical work-experience opportunities to the students, allowing them to develop and apply the necessary skills needed for direct employment within the industry. This is underpinned by a broad range of academic skills and knowledge, that allows learners to take their first steps within the diverse and ever-changing sporting and digital-media environments.
Click here for more information about the courses we offer at Sheffield United Community College and here to read our 2025-26 Prospectus.
Maizie Talks Premier League Inspires’ Positive Impact
Our Premier League Inspires programme is a personal development project that uses the power of football to inspire young people aged 11-to-18 to develop the personal skills and positive attitudes needed to succeed in life.
The programme recognises that young people today face a variety of challenges, with more than ever experiencing mental health issues. Teachers in secondary schools and the education sector face multiple pressures and each school has differing priorities, including in approach to pastoral care, behaviour management and emotional support. This is where we can help.
Maizie, a student at Bradfield School, credits the programme with helping her development in and out of school.
Maizie said: “I really struggled with my communication and expressing how I was feeling. I felt isolated and lonely. I worked on the Inspires programme with my coach, Brad, to create techniques I could use to feel heard and speak about my emotions. After this, I can now confidently communicate effectively about my feelings and make the most of my education. I learned about how to be resilient, as before I found certain class environments difficult to be in and it resulted in me walking away. This ended up in conversations about suspension from school and me becoming more frustrated in school. Overall, I’ve become a better individual and I have learned how to be more confident in the classroom especially dealing with situations where I would normally struggle. This has also had a positive impact at home with family and friends.”
Bookings now open for our upcoming half-term football camps!
We’re back at Handsworth JSC, Wisewood Sports Centre, Leisure United Graves, Thorncliffe & Westfield for more fun and engaging sessions for children aged 5-14.
Sessions run 9am-3pm daily from Monday 28th October to Friday 1st November. For more info and to book your child’s place please click here.
Sue Empowered by Foundation’s Circuit Sessions
One of the participants on our women’s circuit sessions, Sue, spoke to us recently about how the weekly group has helped boost and maintain her physical health.
Sue said: “I joined the class about a year ago, with the idea of meeting people in the community as well as keeping fit, not so much losing weight, but maintaining where I am. I’d mentioned the session to friends, so there are quite a few of us that come and it’s great to do something like this together.
I’m not a gym person, I feel a bit intimidated by a gym, so I love the environment here and I love the fact that Monika from the Foundation pushes us – in a good way, not in a bad way! It’s such good fun, I really enjoy the banter, and I feel more energised afterwards.
It’s a good mix of people that come to these sessions. I think it’s given me more confidence in terms of how I interact with younger people too. I’ve got two young grandchildren and coming regularly to these sessions means I can now keep up with them a lot better than I used to, which surprised me as I didn’t think I’d get to that point. It’s a great craic, and that’s the biggest thing I can say!”
In partnership with Sue Ryder, we are pleased to announce a weekly Grief Kind Space at Bramall Lane.
The Grief Kind Space is weekly drop-in session held every Wednesday (12.30-2.30pm) in the Blades Family Hub on John Street. The sessions are run by trained volunteers and provide a safe, informal and supportive place for people to come together and share their experiences of grief, helping attendees to feel heard and less alone.
The sessions are welcoming, inclusive and open to anyone who is over 18 and has experienced a bereavement, whether you want to attend regularly to connect with others in similar situations or just drop in for a quick chat.
Beth Wragg, Health and Wellbeing Manager said: “We’re really proud to be hosting grief support sessions at Bramall Lane in partnership with Sue Ryder. Together, we’re creating a welcoming space where people can find comfort, support, and a sense of community during difficult times.”
For more info please contact Beth at beth.wragg@sufc-community.co.uk.
⚔️ We’ve been shortlisted for a Sports Positive award! We’re honoured to be nominated for the Education and Training Award for our Nature Based Blades programme.
⚔️ We announced our Friends of the Foundation launch event that will provide a chance for businesses to join forces with us to tackle inequalities and provide opportunities across the Sheffield City Region. More info here.
⚔️ Premier League Primary Stars: Isaac’s Story
⚔️ This past weekend we championed the FA’s Play Safe campaign that raises awareness about how vital safeguarding is and highlights the roles everyone plays in football. Watch the video here.
⚔️ Finally, congratulations to our first Community College Squad of the Month for 24-25!
