Luton Town Community Trust Newsletter Issue 3 by Luton Town FC

Leisure & Culture Award 2016

LTFC COMMUNITY TRUST NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 3 | MARCH 2017

COMMUNITYTRUST

Cohesion Sports Champions 2017

SPORT | EDUCATION | HEALTH | INCLUSION

2016

Registered Charity | Charity No. 1123078

KICK IT OUT AT KENILWORTH ROAD Our home match v Plymouth Argyle last month was designated 'Kick it out day' as we highlighted the campaign to tackle all forms of discrimination in the game. Thanks to all the first team players who helped promote our support of the Kick it Out awareness day which seeks to promote awareness of the benefits of equality, inclusion and diversity in football and to expose and challenge all aspects of discrimination and unfair practices at at all levels of football - we even got Happy Harry and Harriet to help get the message out to our younger supporters on the day. As part of the campaign we held workshops with local schools to get the message across that everyone at Luton Town FC firmly endorses all of Kick it Out’s objectives and aims, and we are proud to highlight the work they do.

If you want to play a more active role in Kick it Out you can get in touch with the organisation via their website: www.kickitout.org.

MAYOR’S CHARITY SCHOOLS CUP Last month also saw the Trust hold the very first Mayors Charity Schools Cup in which all Luton schools were invited to take part by this year’s Luton Mayor, Tahir Khan, to highlight the benefits of cohesion through sport in the town as well as benefitting the Mayor’s chosen charities - Macmillan Cancer, Keech Hospice & Crescent Care. The tournament followed on from last summer’s successful Euros Schools tournament and once again brought together the council’s cohesion team. Active Luton and the Hatters Community Trust, along with fantastic logistic support from Arriva, who transported children from all over Luton to and from the event on the day. A real team effort to bring the Town’s school children together and celebrate our diversity and strong local community cohesion. Congratulations to Sacred Heart Junior School who ran out winners against St Matthews Primary School in a closely fought 1-0 win in the final. All the school children are raising money through holding 'mufti' days at their schools.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

READ MORE PAGE 2

•Premier League Kicks programme welcomes Arsenal FC to Marsh Farm •Beds Police Cohesion Award Winners

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2 BEDFORDSHIRE POLICE COHESION AWARDS 2017 Hard on the heels of the Trust’s Love Luton Culture & Leisure Award last month recognising our work, particulary in local schools, the Trust’s work was has again been recognised this time by Bedfordshire Police who have recognised our integration projects in the town awarding the Trust 2017 Sport Cohesion Champions The award recognised our projects that particulary use ‘the power of football to be at the heart of communities’, in particular; the Luton Euros football tournament last year which involved over 20 schools in Luton, and our Premier league KICKS projects, which currently has four late night football centres in Luton and Bedford for local youths on various estates. This award is a great testimony to the hard work and dedication of our coaches who often during the week work beyond 11.00 pm, ensuring that these centres can cater for over 200 weekly participants who would otherwise probably not mix or have regular access at these facilities.

PL KICKS SUCCESS The Premier League’s KICKS scheme seeks to engage young people from areas of high need in football, sport and personal development. The Kicks projects aims to use football as a hook to engage and target young people and attempt to divert them away from crime and ant-social behaviour by providing training and employment and volunteering opportunities. During February half term the Hatters played a home KICKS U19 fixture with Arsenal FC in Marsh Farm and an U14 away fixture at the Arsenal FC Hub next door to their Emirates Stadium. With both Hatters teams made up from boys from all over Luton, Hatters Trust Community Operations Officer Daniel Douglas commented "Kicks is a fantastic project that encourages young lads of all ages and abilities to come together and enjoy football. We are using the games as rewards for the boys who attend and behave. We lost a commanding lead in the U19 game so I’ve put myself under pressure a bit in the next game - but the U14's didn't lose a game all day and did the town proud!”

3 FA PEOPLE’S DISABILITY CUP This month saw the start of our 2017 men’s disability league fixtures at our local 'ability counts' league organised by the Beds FA. We have two teams running this season – one in the new Super League and one in the Championship. Our teams are part of our ‘Every Player Counts’ disability programme supported by the EFL Trust and the Wembley National Stadium Trust. Our programme is PAN disability and covers both children and adults with learning disabilities with sessions and centres all over Luton and Bedfordshire. It is a growing programme that now regularly sees the Trust deliver 12 sessions each week reaching over 150 participants of mixed ability. Our Super League players are at the top end of the ability range but our ‘every player counts’ multi sports programme also reaches those with less ability and aims to be all inclusive enabling anyone with a disability, no matter how severe, to take part.

EFL TRUST KINDER+ SPORT GIRLS CUP QUEENSBURY GIRLS JUST MISS OUT ON WEMBLEY

A fantastic effort by our girls from Queensbury High School in saw them who lost out in the Southern EFL final to Bristol City who now go on to play the norther winners at Wembley at the Stadium on 2nd April at the Checkatrade Trophy Final. Just like our first team in the EFL Trophy semi-final, the chance of a Wembley appearance was so close but just not to be. Although it is bitter sweet commiserations in the end, to make the Southern final was an amazing achievement. On the day, having already beaten Bristol City and Brentford in the group stage and then Reading in the semi final it was the Bristol girls who gained revenged and reversed the scoreline to make Wembley. Agonising – but a fantastic effort by the girls to make it as one of the last two teams out of 36 EFL club sides and proudly represent the Hatters in this years competition!

efl walking football Our over 50's walking footballers took on all comers from across Bedfordshire, last month in Leighton Buzzard and won through for the right to represent the Hatters in the EFL regional walking football tournament on Saturday 22nd April at V360 in Luton. The regional tournament will be the third year in a row the Trust have hosted the tournament and teams from EFL Clubs all over East Anglia and SE England will again converge on Luton for the right to play in the national finals at St Georges Park in May. Good luck fellas!

4 PREMIER LEAGUE KICKS VOLUNTEERS GAIN AWARDS Another learning programme the Trust have just completed saw 9 young volunteers from our PL KICKS programme successfully complete their L1 Sports Leader Award. The boys have all taken part in the project over the last year or so and were identified by our KICKS coaching staff as candidates who can help our coaches deliver and expand the number of sessions run by the Trust each week. During February half term all of the boys were instructed and assessed in sports coaching activities and are now assisting the trust on a voluntary basis on a number of projects and activities all around the town. It's all part of the Trust drive to using football as a hook to engage and target young people and by providing training and employment and volunteering opportunities attempt to divert them away from crime and ant-social behaviour. In the longer term it all leads to improved health and self-esteem where boys can feel safer through improving cohesion by bringing different communities together

BEDFORDSHIRE & LUTON COMMUNITY YOUTH FUND IN HIGH TOWN Finally we are really pleased to report on the continued progress with our Community Youth Fund project to establish a sustainable youth football club structure for boys and girls in the High Town area of Luton. High Town Hatters YFC up and running! At the start of the season High Town lacked any organised youth football teams and this has been the situation for many years. We now have over 35 very keen youngsters training every week alongside new trainee coaches Richard and Phil. The project aims to set up teams in this part of town to compete in local leagues from next season as well as establish a volunteer community club structure to administer the teams. Luton Borough Council and Luton Airport work in partnership through the Community Youth Fund to improve the quality of life of the people of Luton and particularly to provide positive activities for children and young people and reduce anti-social behavior, strengthen community cohesion and improve health and promote health equality. Phase 1 of this years’ project in High Town is well underway with a weekly coaching centre established in Peoples Parks for local youngsters and Phase 2 establishing a group of a volunteers along with trained and qualified coaches is well underway. We are now looking at Phase 3 of the project which involves organising local fixtures leading to our new ‘High Town Hatters’ playing in local youth leagues beginning in September. In February we took our newly formed High Town Hatters to play our Community Youth Fund supported group in Farley Hill for our first round of games between the two estates. It was a great Saturday morning of football that was particularly well supported by local parents. The eagerly awaited return leg is coming up next month.

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