Entry 77081

Thanks to National Lottery players, we're expanding our youth outreach work across Cardiff's Southern Arc with a three-year programme that builds on our successful track record and extends into new communities.

This investment comes at a critical time. The Centre for Social Justice's recent 'Lost Boys' report highlights how young men across the UK are falling behind in education, employment and wellbeing, with early intervention through sport-based programmes identified as one of the most effective ways to provide positive male role models and pathways away from crime and poverty.

Thanks to a £474,928 grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, we'll be reaching more young people across nine sites including Grangetown, Butetown, Ely, Llanrumney and Splott, delivering free football sessions, after-school youth clubs, mentoring and life skills workshops.

The programme includes weekly Premier League Kicks football sessions, after-school youth clubs, group mentoring, and Team Talk workshops on topics young people chose and are most affected by. We'll also run termly community events, stadium tours and special experiences including match tickets for those who might not otherwise get the chance.

Our experience shows what can be achieved when community organisations, services and local partners work together. In areas such as Caerau in Maesteg, where Premier League Kicks launched in March 2024, recorded crime has fallen by 18% and anti-social behaviour by 25%. While these improvements reflect a wider collective effort across the community, our programmes play a meaningful role by engaging young people during peak risk hours and offering positive alternatives.

Across all Cardiff City FC Community Foundation services delivered last year, 88% of participants reported improved wellbeing and 98% felt a stronger sense of belonging. These outcomes reflect the collective impact of our wider engagement across communities, demonstrating how structured sport, mentoring and trusted relationships contribute to safer, more connected places. We're working in partnership with South Wales Police, Cardiff Youth Services, Cardiff Council and local schools to make sure this expanded programme is embedded in communities and easy for young people to access through trusted relationships, structured activities and mentoring during the hours when young people need support most.

This investment will creating safer spaces, stronger communities and brighter futures across Cardiff. We're incredibly grateful for this support and excited to show what we can achieve together.

Zac Lyndon Jones, Director of Cardiff City FC Community Foundation, said: " The National Lottery Community Fund investment is transformational for what we can achieve across Cardiff’s Southern Arc and beyond. It allows us to build on what already works, extend into new neighbourhoods and work alongside local partners to support young people at exactly the right moment. Early intervention works when it is consistent, trusted and rooted in communities. This funding enables us to be present in the right places, at the right times, working collaboratively to give more young people safe spaces, positive role models and opportunities shaped by what they tell us they need."

Andrew Owen, Head of Funding for Wales at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “We are proud to fund the Cardiff City FC Foundation’s work supporting children and young people to thrive. Their project will help communities across the city, encouraging young people to come together, and directly helping communities experiencing poverty, disadvantage and discrimination, thanks to National Lottery players.”

Zac Lyndon Jones, Director of Cardiff City FC Community Foundation, said:

"The National Lottery Community Fund investment is transformational for what we can achieve across Cardiff’s Southern Arc and beyond. It allows us to build on what already works, extend into new neighbourhoods and work alongside local partners to support young people at exactly the right moment.

Early intervention works when it is consistent, trusted and rooted in communities. This funding enables us to be present in the right places, at the right times, working collaboratively to give more young people safe spaces, positive role models and opportunities shaped by what they tell us they need."

Andrew Owen, Head of Funding for Wales at The National Lottery Community Fund, said:

“We are proud to fund the Cardiff City FC Foundation’s work supporting children and young people to thrive. Their project will help communities across the city, encouraging young people to come together, and directly helping communities experiencing poverty, disadvantage and discrimination, thanks to National Lottery players.”