This article by Thomas Gibson is part of ConnectSport CIC's pilot project with Reach Plc, the UK's largest commercial, national and regional news publisher, and was originally published in the Birmingham Mail. To find out more and how your organisation can benefit, please contact hello@connectsport.co.uk

The football season maybe over but the ‘beautiful game’ is still having a huge impact on the lives of young people, particularly for Stefan Bishop.

The 25-year-old from Walsall, affectionately known as ‘Stef’ by his team-mates, put on his goalkeeping gloves for the final time in a national tournament for young people who are care-experienced at Wolves FC’s Molineux Stadium.

The annual ‘National Championship Cup’, hosted by the City of Wolverhampton Council and the Wolves Foundation, brought together more than 200 young people aged 16 to 25, and 20 teams representing councils from across England.

RESILIENCE

Football is more than just a game for some, it can be an escape, a breath of fresh air, and the day enabled these young people – who have already faced so many challenges in their lives – to not only showcase their talents on the pitch, but also to demonstrate their resilience and spirit off it.

And as he hung up his gloves, Stef explained how he and tournament organiser Sam Neath, who he first met when Sam was working as a Care Adviser for Walsall Council, first came up with the idea eight years ago.

“Me and Sam were the ones who started all this, in my back garden,” he said. “I had a little goal with a metal frame; Sam was trying to score past me and he took 20 penalties…. I saved 19 of them and let him score one because I felt bad!

“I remember we had our first tournament in Coventry and our team finished bottom, but it didn’t really bother me because we had such fun.”

Looking around Molineux, Stef laughed: “I’m a bit speechless because I never thought it would get this big. I thought it would just be held in small venues with astroturf, but I was shocked last year because I was walking past Molineux on my way to the supermarket and saying to my fiancée ‘I’ll never play there’ – then two minutes later I got a text from the manager saying we were going to be playing there! I used to be a season ticket holder here and I've always been a fan.”

So what does Stef think will be the impact of the tournament for the young people who travelled from as far away as North Yorkshire and Milton Keynes to play in a Premier League stadium?

MOTIVATE

“This is really changing their lives, physically and potentially mentally,” he says. “If they are struggling with their mental health, for example, this is something they can just enjoy doing. You see the smiles on their faces, they are having the time of their lives.

“It’s not actually about winning really… an event like this is going to motivate them to keep pushing, and make sure they don’t give up on their dream.”

Tournament organiser Sam, who now works at Wolverhampton City Council and has been recognised as National Personal Advisor of the Year, revealed: “Some participants woke up at 4am, others couldn’t sleep because they were that excited.

“A young person that hadn’t engaged with me for six months found out about the tournament and came training, and within five weeks we’ve now got him in his own accommodation.

“That’s the power of football; if I had asked him to come to the office he probably wouldn’t have attended.”

Sam also expanded on the plans for the tournament going forward. “I want to take this tournament to Wembley next year and for 400 young people take part. I want Sky Sports and BBC to be there - I want these young people to be celebrated and championed.”

INSPIRATION

Sam admitted he was “almost in tears” at the end of the competition as he presented Stef with the National Championship Cup ‘Inspiration’ Award for his dedication to the cause over the years. “I had to walk to the other side of the pitch to compose myself,” he said.

Meanwhile Stef revealed he will be assisting Walsall team manager David Hughes at next year’s tournament. “I think it’s now time to call it quits and start a new chapter,” he said. “Next year I am going to be a coach with Dave. Even if I can’t play, I will still be there to motivate the lads.”

Outside of his role managing the team, David is the Children’s Champion for Walsall Council. He commented: “The biggest thing for me is the social side of it what these guys get. A lot of young people in these scenarios are very isolated and football is a nice way to connect.”

Care-experienced individuals face a vast number of challenges, stretching from mental health issues to trauma. This can leave people confused and isolated – but the tournament helps to create a connection and a positive sense of growth, where every individual can relate to each other.

Warinder Juss, MP for Wolverhampton West, was on hand to help with the presentation of the Cup and revealed he would be flagging up the success of the tournament to his fellow MPs in Parliament.

He said: “Wolverhampton is a very diverse city, and football can help to build confidence across our diverse communities. This is especially the case for care leavers, it can give them that ability to move forward and look at what they can achieve in the rest of their lives.”

CONFIDENCE

Other young people explained how the tournament had helped them.

Ubi, from the Wolverhampton team, commented: “If you play in a team, it gives you life experience and it helps you to build confidence. Some of us aren’t that confident, so playing sports gets me out of my comfort zone and gets me interacting with people that I wouldn’t usually talk to.”

Shahla (pictured above), who had travelled from Chesterfield to represent the Derbyshire team, is currently studying Criminology and hopes that one day she can help young people in a similar position to her. She explained how most support for care leavers is usually provided in offices.

“It’s a good experience for us rather than going into an office,” she said. “It definitely helps with my mental health. Being a care leaver, you are quite singled out in life, so this helps us get out and feel less isolated.”

As for the football itself, Warwickshire County beat Redcar and Cleveland in the final to claim the coveted 2025 Championship Cup – but, in this tournament at least, there’s no doubt that all of the players were winners.

Read the full story at birminghammail.co.uk

This article is part of ConnectSport CIC's pilot project with Reach Plc, the UK's largest commercial, national and regional news publisher. To find out more contact hello@connectsport.co.uk

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