FITC Street Life Soccer Update

FITC at Norwich City are pleased to announce that the first 10 weeks of our brand new "Street Life Soccer " has been a huge success.

Norwich City's Football In The Community, have been working in partnership with the Homeless And Vulnerable Education Support Programme (HAVES) - Blue Cat, Norfolk Learning Partnership and the Football Foundation to deliver the first 10 weeks of an exciting 3-year programme.

Street Life Soccer has seen over 110 clients attending the 2-hour sessions, over 5 days. The sessions consist of an hour of educational skills for the clients to pick up and transfer into OCN qualifications and an hour of football-based sessions to mirror the skills being learnt in the classroom.

Regular attendance by more than 80% of the clients has been one of the many highlights so far achieved in the first 10 weeks. This along with the First Street Life Soccer Tournament taking place, which saw 6 teams compete, in a on going 6 month tournament. 

For the upto date league standings please visit the Social Inclusion section off the main page.

The positive start being made to the community through this project has already started and numbers attending are expected to double after Christmas, when the number of vulnerably housed and homeless rises. Regional housing advice teams are gearing up for another busy Christmas and New Year as the festive season fallout causes a rise in people finding themselves threatened with homelessness.

The local authority's homeless advice centre annually sees an increase in demand for its services immediately after the Christmas period. This can be because relationships break down, the hospitality of a friend providing temporary accommodation runs out or because households are finding it difficult to make ends meet under the strain of the festive season.

Findings show that regional homeless figures increase from between 12-18% directly following the Christmas/New Year period. This figure is comparable across the country, as a direct result of seasonal factors including debt, relationship issues and mental health factors.

To get involved in the project or for more information, please contact the Social Inclusion Officer on 01603 761122 or by email at fitc@ncfc-canaries.co.uk.