Football clubs encourage kids to do homework

Premiership football clubs across the country have signed up to an innovative scheme that encourages school children to do their homework.

The £270,000 national scheme has been funded by the Football Foundation, a sports charity committed to funding grass roots football, and is being managed by MMU’s Collaborative Partnerships Office, which develops strategic partnerships with education providers and promotes wider participation.

22 professional football clubs, including Bolton Wanderers, Everton, Fulham and Portsmouth, have joined the FAST (Football and Schools Together) Forward scheme, which rewards attendance at homework clubs with professional football coaching.

Aiming Higher

The local focus of FAST Forward has proved popular with football clubs as it fits well with the agenda of Football in the Community. From January 2008, UEFA-trained coaches from the clubs will make weekly visits to local schools to deliver an hour’s football coaching to youngsters from Years 8 to 11 who attend the school’s homework club for at least an hour a week. Homework clubs are aimed at underperforming children who, with the right stimulus, could achieve higher results and FAST Forward aims to reach 900 children from more than 25 schools across England.

Inspiring Children

Dr Liz Marr, Head of Widening Participation at MMU and Director of the project, said: “Homework clubs are an excellent idea but they are not always attractive for youngsters and this is where FAST Forward comes in. Football is a very powerful motivator and can be a real force in inspiring children and encouraging participation. Recent MMU research has also shown that children who are physically active are up to eight times more likely to excel at exams, ideal for those in the FAST Forward age-group who are taking their SATs and GCSEs.”

Liz continues: “As well as benefiting from improving their literacy, numeracy and computer skills at homework clubs, young people involved in the FAST Forward scheme can work towards a FA Junior Football Organisers (JFO) Coaching Award. We are expecting to see after-school attendance figures rocket!”

Football clubs taking part in the scheme include Barnsley; Bolton Wanderers; Bristol Rovers; Crystal Palace; Darlington; Derby County; Everton; Fulham; Grimsby Town; Ipswich Town; Notts County; Nottingham Forest; Port Vale; Portsmouth; Queens Park Rangers; Rochdale; Sheffield Wednesday; Southend United; Stoke City; Tranmere Rovers; Walsall and Watford.

For further information on the work of MMU’s Collaborative Partnerships Office go to www.mmu.ac.uk/academic/sas/cpo/