Football Welcomes

Refugee group line up for a photo in a football goal

MFC Foundation have teamed up with the Methodist Asylum Project (MAP) and the North Riding FA to deliver a three-year pilot project funded through Amnesty International aiming to create more welcoming communities for  refugees and those seeking asylum in the local area.

The Football Welcomes initiative will see the Foundation offer football and educational provision for those who have sought asylum in Middlesbrough as a result of fleeing war, conflict and the risk of persecution in their home countries.

The participants are from all over the world: Iran, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine and many more.  At Football Welcomes, they will get the chance to work together as a team, to develop skills, and remember the fun and sense of belonging which team membership gives.

They will also get a real sense that Middlesbrough, through the football club Foundation, is extending welcome and friendship, which is a priceless feeling for anyone.

The weekly sessions held at the Herlingshaw Centre and other facilities across the Middlesbrough area see male and female participants take part in ESOL provision, football and also receive volunteering opportunities at the Foundation and the football club.

In creating more welcoming communities, the Foundation is looking to create alliances with supporters groups, encouraging regular attendance at sessions and friendly matches throughout the year.

Contact paul.south@mfcfoundation.co.uk for more details, or ring 01642 767674

Young People Inspired To Talk About Mental Health

Students from several Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation’s partner secondary schools participated in The Premier League Inspires Challenge 2023/24 during which they were tasked with creating a mentally healthy environment for the club, fans, partners and players.

Working alongside Foundation staff during their Premier League Inspires sessions in school over the past half term, the youngsters produced a range of social action projects, whilst also supporting the Premier League’s Inside Matters mental health campaign.

The message was simple, to remind everyone that it is okay not to be okay and of the importance of keeping up conversations on mental health.

Coming together at the Riverside, students from Grangefield Academy, North Shore Academy, Outwood Academy Acklam, Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth and Outwood Academy Normanby presented to a panel of judges made up of representatives from Middlesbrough Football Club, Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation and Teesside MIND.

Outwood Academy Acklam were the overall winners with their idea of a Mental Health Awareness Pocket Guide that anyone can use, including professional footballers. They will now represent Middlesbrough FC at the Premier League Inspires Challenge national final on Thursday April 25th at the Emirates Stadium, home to Arsenal FC, alongside the other 44 Premier League Inspires Club Community Organisations.

The groups who did not progress to the national event will continue to develop their ideas with the support of the Boro and the Foundation.