BBC Outreach Volunteering Manager, Marvin McKenzie, spotted an opportunity to connect two youth groups who were 200 miles apart. Marvin volunteered in his own time to two communities uniting through common experience and a game of football.
I didn’t bank on my audience outreach workshop near BBC Elstree sparking an inspirational football exchange to Manchester between teenagers at risk of serious offending.
But then I met a policeman and a social inclusion worker, and the game was on.
PC Michael Wallace from the Met Police, and social inclusion workers Ashley Levien plus Kevin Lema from Barnet Kicks all work together to address and reduce offending behaviour through football.
Barnet works closely with young men from BAME backgrounds.
Michael uses the Kicks programme to engage with young black men who have had negative experiences with, or would be apprehensive of, the police.
After we first met, we discussed the similarities between our communities. We talked about some of the issues young men face – and how we could tackle them.
My own background is youth and community engagement and I have led many similar projects that brought services together to provide better experiences rather than working in silos.
Many young men don’t have the opportunity to get out of their area, and from our work in engaging hard to reach audiences I knew there was a Manchester project called TUFc (The Urban Fitness collective) working with similar age groups for similar reasons.
We worked with the TUFc group in 2014 when some of its young people ed us for Hip Hop Mastermind at BBC Salford MediaCityUK.
And now had made a new match! On August 27th, 20 young men from Barnet met another 20 young men from Manchester, who hosted their guests for the next two days!
After near five-hour drive, the first thing the Barnet boys did was run straight past BBC Salford and over to the bridge to proclaim: “There’s Old Trafford over there”. Clearly a few Reds in the group!! Result! And we’ll have no jokes about “United fans are all from London anyway.”
Once the Manchester United hysterics calmed down we all went on a tour of BBC sport. Thanks to Helen Smith and Shajan Miah, the young men explored the set and some of the different careers on offer.
The next day, matchday, was fantastic, but it was about so much more than the game.
We used the former Manchester City training complex on Platt Lane in Fallowfield. There were presentations from the President of the National Black Police Association Franstine Jones; from Operation Excalibur, Lee Newburn; and from the PFA, former footballers Jason Lee and Fabrice Muamba.
Jason highlighted the sacrifices he made to become a footballer. He is originally from London and had to make some of the decisions the boys now face.
Fabrice talked candidly about every aspect of his career-ending cardiac arrest on the pitch and spoke to the young people about the determination required to play football in the first place and the importance of having: “plan b and plan c and plan d.”
Former footballer Samir Dahou talked powerfully about his recent release from prison and how his involvement in crime and gang activity ruined his potential as a professional footballer.
On to the Match. In a kit donated by Manchester United, the Tufc group faced the Barnet boys in all-white..
BBC 5 Live’s Helen Smith re-ed us for the game too and after a short training session with a few of the young men, she announced that we now had a commentary and sports journalism team to report on the game. Step up Idris, Hakeem and Matthew.
Gary Lineker watch this space!
Both groups are now in talks with the PFA, the Met Police and Greater Manchester Police about how this initiative can be rolled out to other areas where a community need is present.
And the result? Barnet will never let me forget that they won 4-0.
BBC Outreach & Corporate Responsibility brings the BBC closer to its audiences - particularly those audiences we have identified as harder to reach - with face-to-face activity, community and staff volunteering.
