Martene Carroll

18^th January 2024

On a chilly Thursday afternoon, local Companies; Eversleigh LLP, Ackroyd Lowrie Architects, and Regal Real Estates competed in a Football Tournament against former professional footballers and JRF staff, to raise money for the Foundation’s new sport & activity programme to support those living with dementia, as well as Walking Football in the Community.

With the competing teams and supporters, the crowd were joined by former professional footballers including Mark Stein as well as FA Coach Development Officer Peter Augustine.

Professional footballer and striker Kieron St Aimie took part in the tournament and said of the day; “I’m happy to turn out for charitable events and get the boots back on. I work with young people at Brent United and fully appreciate the role fundraising plays and the impact on projects.”

The fifty strong crowd enjoyed a competitive but friendly tournament and joined a minute’s silence in memory of the late Cyrille Regis, a Trustee of JRF who sadly passed away six years ago.

Otis Roberts, CEO of the Foundation said; “We are delighted that these companies have taken time out and supported us by raising vital funds for these special programmes. We have a long-standing relationship with Eversleigh and Ackroyd Lowrie and we thank Regal Real Estates for joining forces. We couldn’t do some of the work we do without businesses like these with a social conscience. We are very grateful to them.”

If you would like to know more about JRF’s Just Play Dementia programme or the Walking Football in the Community initiative, please email info@jasonrobertsfoundation.org

On the afternoon of Sunday 21^st January 2024, the JRF Team hosted a very special Alumni event focused on the young people of Brent who have grown up attending sports activities and projects delivered by the Foundation over the last sixteen years.

The event was an opportunity for staff and coaches to catch up with former participants and hear about their individual journeys into adulthood and the lives and careers they have forged.

The large crowd enjoyed seeing photos of their younger selves when they attended tournaments, school holiday programmes, trips and events delivered by the JRF Team.

In addition to local social media influencers, former Professional Footballer and Heritage hero, Richard Langley joined the event.

For coaches, mentors, participants and volunteers the day was a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with the past and with so many individual success stories, look to the future with optimism for the young people of Brent.

Otis Roberts, CEO of JRF said of the day; “It was fantastic to see so many old faces connecting and reminiscing about the past, hearing what people are doing now and having a space for great community engagement.”

On the afternoon of Sunday 3^rd December, JRF hosted a Community Coaches continued professional development event on Observation, as part of the new ‘Real Talk’ programme, incorporating the Stonebridge Huddle.

Thirty budding football coaches attended the session hosted by the FA Coach Development (Diversity & Inclusion) Team and benefited from first-hand knowledge from former professional footballers Zesh Rehman, Jerome Thomas, and Jamal Campbell Ryce who all hold roles in the game since retiring.

The former players gave valuable insight and top tips on subjects including coaching, recruitment, and progression within the game as well as information on networking and providing pathways for the next generation.

Many of the young people who took part signed up for ongoing mentoring with the FA who are striving to provide more coaching education and courses that are accessible to the local community.

This is the third Community Coaches course hosted by JRF over the last three months as the level of interest and interaction from future coaches continues in their quest for continued professional development in this field.

Peter Augustine, Coach Development Officer at the FA said.

“Today’s event showed the appetite for coaches’ education. The idea of these events is to give coaches access to Official FA CPD at a time and place that suits them. Having ex professionals who understand the coaches and who can share their stories, gives the coaches inspiration and a deeper knowledge of what they need to do to be successful.”

Thanks to funding from Young Brent Foundation’s One Flow One Brent, Wembley National Stadium Trust, the Hyde Foundation, and the FA, young up-and-coming football coaches are being offered some ‘Real Talk’ on what it takes to follow a career into the beautiful game.

Last week the JRF Team took ‘Real Talk’ on the road when they attended a Careers Fair organised by Alperton Community School in Wembley.

The ‘Real Talk’ Careers Talks form part of JRF’s ‘Passport to Success’ programme which has recently received further funding from Young Brent Foundation and One Flow One Brent, following the success of the first phase of the programme from 2022 to 2023.

The school hosted a wide variety of organisations and businesses including the Jason Roberts Foundation, to provide students with information on careers, training, Apprenticeships, and volunteering opportunities for a wide range of industries, to spark interest in the young people attending.

Career aspirations varied greatly from over 200 young people present, with many who showed interest in a wealth of industries including engineering, health, interior design, architecture, as well as sport.

For eighteen of the young people aspiring for a career in the sports industry, they were invited to attend the Community Coaches continued professional development course hosted by JRF at Bridgestone Arena. The training programme offered the opportunity to learn more about the profession from experts in their field, including three former professional footballers; Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Emile Heskey, and Zesh Rehman.

For these lucky eighteen and all the other young people who spoke to the JRF team at the Alperton School Careers Event, they will be invited to future ‘Real Talk’ sessions hosted by JRF through their ‘Passport to Success’ Programme.

NOTE

If you are interested in attending a ‘Real Talk’ session or if you are a business/organisation that would be prepared to deliver a Careers Talk for young people in Brent, please contact martene@jasonrobertsfoundation.org

Walking Football Caribbean over 50’s Team triumphant at Winter Nations Cup Walking Football Tournament – Cardiff, Wales.

Team Caribbean participated in their second major tournament this year and were represented by two teams at over 50s and 60s levels, which makes the achievement even more notable as many of the other nations have been playing for years.

The Caribbean teams travelled up on Friday, 1st December and the tournament took part place on Saturday, 2nd December at the University of South Wales, Cardiff, Wales, in absolutely freezing conditions.

Braving the wintry conditions, the tournament got underway with the over 60’s team narrowly losing their first two games against England and Sweden, putting up good performances against Wales, but it wasn’t quite enough to progress.

The over 50’s were undoubtedly the outstanding team of the whole competition dropping just two points in their 1-1 draw with Sweden, 3-1 win against tournament favourites England, 4-0 win against Australia and 2-0 win against host country Wales. This over 50’s team across two tournaments have not been beaten in open play. Their only loss coming by way of penalties in the quarter final of the World Cup of Nations 2023. They have succeeded in putting the Caribbean as one of the world’s formidable forces in this fast-growing sport.

Kenny Dyer was the tournament top goal scorer with five goals and Mark Taylor, 50’s captain was voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

The Caribbean Islands were well represented by players in the UK diaspora originating from Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago.

Speaking on behalf of the Walking Football Caribbean Management Team, Mike Adams, Head Coach said,

“We knew we were capable of this, and it has come incredibly early in our development. We have a flare and an energy that truly reflects our people and the Islands we originate from. Like the great West Indies cricket teams, we have come together to do battle and give us visibility in a sport where we are more than competitive, we’re the benchmark. The camaraderie has been there from the outset, and we can’t wait to spread this message to our community, here in the UK, the diaspora and at home in the Caribbean.”

The event was very well organised with nineteen nations taking part from across the globe. The health benefits and messages this sends cannot be overstated. The Caribbean 60’s had a 70-years young, Mike Stafford bringing his youthful energy which was infectious.

The playing of the National Anthems and greetings was particularly uplifting. As the Caribbean was multiple nations, a version of David Rudder’s ‘Rally Round the Flag’ was played.

The Caribbean Teams are most definitely the new kids on the block at Nations level of walking football and have already made big statements. Growing the game in the Caribbean Community amongst 40, 50, 60 and 70 somethings, both male and female is the goal. The physical, mental, and social health benefits are enormous, and Walking Football Caribbean want to champion that from the front. This is just the beginning.