Bloomsbury Football

Britain has lost 7,000 PE teachers since the London 2012 Olympics, while 30% of children are doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity daily.    These figures, relayed to MPs this week, remind us all that access to sport cannot be taken for granted. When young people miss out on movement, they miss out on far more than just exercise - they lose opportunities to build confidence, resilience, and community.   At Bloomsbury Football, we know that football is more than a game. It’s a tool to learn life skills, build physical and mental well-being, and build stronger communities.   It's why our Schools Programme is a crucial part of our mission. Every week, our coaches deliver high-quality football sessions to 3,300 young people across 46 schools in London, helping to fill the gaps left by declining PE provision.   Access to sport should never be a privilege. We’re committed to ensuring every child has the opportunity to play, move, and thrive.   Read more about the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee's findings in the article linked in the comments. #football #london #education #schools #charity

FIFA Foundation 🤝 Bloomsbury Football   We're so excited to share that Bloomsbury Football have been selected for the FIFA Foundation's Community Programme for 2025-26!   It's an honour to be accepted onto their competitive programme, and to have our mission to use the power of football to affect positive social change recognised.    As we continue to grow our football provision, aiming to coach 20,000 young people weekly by 2028, having the continued support of football's global governing body is invaluable.    It's also an amazing opportunity to reflect on our previous successes as FIFA partners, including these photos from 2024 when our players were thrilled to meet legends of the game Patrizia Panico and Claude Makélélé!   Read more about the FIFA Foundation Community Programme by clicking the link in the comments 👇   #football #london #charity #socialchange #sport

The growth of Girls’ and Women’s football over the past decade has been vital and inspiring. In the last four years alone, the number of women and girls playing the sport has increased by 56%.   More young girls than ever are experiencing the transformative power of football - improving their mental and physical health, whilst developing skills that extend far beyond the sidelines.   But access to the game isn’t equal for all girls and young women.   Many elite talent centres are located in suburban areas, making it difficult for inner-city players to attend regular trainings. Plus, the funding gap between the Men’s and Women’s game means girls from low-income families are more likely to be priced off the pitch.   The result? Elite Women’s football in England does not reflect our nation’s diversity. Without representation, entire generations of girls grow up without seeing themselves reflected in their role models.   At Bloomsbury Football, we’re on a mission to change that. Our CEO, Charlie Hyman, recently spoke to Kait Borsay in The Times about why we exist—to provide affordable, accessible football for young people across London.   🔗 Read the full article via the link in the comments 👇

Humans of Bloomsbury – Kyri, Head of Coaching  ‘I’m the Head of Coaching at Bloomsbury Football, and I’ve been here for coming up to two months now. The focus for this role is to make Bloomsbury Football the best place to coach in the country – that’s my overall goal. My current focus is on developing an incredible CPD programme – I’m really looking at how we upskill the coaches that we have. How can we create more opportunities for growth? How can we better support them on and off the pitch?  The more we support our coaches and help them to be the best they can be, the more impact we can have on players' lives. There's a compounding effect – by helping our coaches, I'm improving the lives of hundreds and thousands of players that come through Bloomsbury. I’m proud of that.  My experience is in coaching and coach development. Before this role, I’ve been an Academy coach at a few clubs, including Stevenage FC, Barnet FC, and most recently, Leyton Orient FC. I also work with The FA as a coach developer.  What I love about coaching is the impact you can have on people’s lives. I find the conversations around what success looks like really interesting. In football, an obvious metric of success is winning games. But there are so many more elements to success in this game – are we helping players to develop certain life skills? From a coach development side, are we developing a coach’s belief in their abilities?  A key strength of mine is empathy. I always try to put myself in the shoes of others and support them from that place. I want to bring vulnerability to this role - by sharing experiences that I've learned from in the past, I hope to show coaches that it's ok to ask for help. Something that has really stood out from the beginning is how proud coaches are to work for Bloomsbury Football – and I think that comes from the huge emphasis we put on improving young people's lives. In my opinion, that’s what brings the Bloomsbury Football team together and sets our coaches apart.’  

JOIN OUR TEAM! 🚀   Bloomsbury Football is a charity making football fun and accessible for every young person in London.   Our financial support model offers discounts of 50-100% off fees for low-income families, ensuring no player is priced off the pitch.   Each week, we work with over 5,500 young people, and have ambitious plans to grow that number to 20,000 by 2028.   We're #hiring for a number of roles to join our rapidly growing team:   ⚽ Senior Head of Philanthropy & Partnerships ⚽ Programme Coordinator ⚽ Operations Executive ⚽ League Coordinator ⚽ Partnerships Lead   If you want to join a fast-paced organisation doing work that makes a real difference, we want to hear from you!   Apply through the job posts on our profile. We'll see you on the pitch 💥   #london #charity #jobs #impact #football #sport

We love these photos from our Blind Football Festival in December! 📸   Held at the Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground, the event celebrated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.   It's important, though, that we don't only champion our Disability programme on certain days. Our mission is to make all young people feel confident and empowered to play football, regardless of their background or experience.    That's why we're so proud of our coaches and staff who work tirelessly to deliver amazing experiences for people with a range of visual impairments and disabilities, every week, all year round.   #charity #disabilities #london #impact #football [Image descriptions Image 1: Bloomsbury coach Owen, holding a football, bends to speak in the ear of a young player wearing a teal coloured midlayer jacket. The boy smiles as they walk towards the camera. In the background there is a football goal covered in Bloomsbury Football bunting. Image 2: A teenage girl wearing navy blue school uniform excitedly kicks a football. The ball is travelling in the direction of the camera and the girl balances on one leg having just struck it. Image 3: A girl stands facing towards the camera and smiles. She wears a black baseball cap, wears an Arsenal away kit and holds a braille certificate of attendance to the event. Image 4: A young girl wearing a purple England shirt and wears orange framed glasses. She is holding a football and smiling, facing to the left Image 5: Coach Owen is on one knee, speaking to a young boy. The boy appears slightly nervous - Owen is guiding his right leg towards a football on the floor in front of him. They are on an indoor football pitch.]

Humans of Bloomsbury – Michelle, Special Projects Coordinator  'I grew up in South Africa, where we watch rugby before we learn to walk. Before starting my role at Bloomsbury Football, I knew very little about the game, but I have seen the incredible power it has to bring people together. Growing up, I played hockey and netball, and now I run. I’ve never been particularly good at any of these things, but I enjoy being active. It’s how I look after my mental health.  I studied Languages and Law at university because I love learning about people have always wanted to do a job where I can have a positive impact. I think I get that from my family – both my parents are incredibly compassionate people, and my older sister dedicates her life to helping others. They are my inspiration.  Whilst studying, I worked as a part-time carer for a teenage girl living with a rare disease. She is non-verbal and a wheelchair user and I saw how the world excludes her. When I came across the job at Bloomsbury, I saw an organisation actively creating space for young people with disabilities – a space to foster friendships, build a community and be included.  I joined Bloomsbury in June 2024. I’ve loved working with the team – ever since I met Esme in my interview, I just knew this was the place I wanted to work. I actually found out I got the job whilst on the way to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, so it was basically the best day of my life!  This is the first time I’ve worked with football coaches, and I love it.  It’s amazing to see how they interact with our young people – how gentle they are with them, whilst also carrying authority. They're wonderfully adaptable and tailor their sessions to the young people involved and their needs.  What’s genuinely important to me in our programme is understanding the impact we’re having on young people’s mental health. Working with young refugees and asylum seekers, for example... These are often young people who’ve been forced to grow up quickly. Our sessions aim to give them a space where they can feel safe and forget about their worries... just for a little while'.

A huge thanks to the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation for hosting our staff INSET day at their London office this week! It was an important opportunity to regroup and retrain as a team in key areas like First Aid and Safeguarding, while reflecting on the successes of 2024 and planning for the year ahead. Our special thanks go to Tracy Ghori, Maya Turnbull and the whole team at Stelios Foundation London HQ for their ongoing support of our team and charitable mission. #london #charity #impact #sport #football

BLOOMSBURY FOOTBALL WRAPPED 💥 It's that time of year again - we're reflecting on what we've achieved over the past year and focusing on our goals for 2025. 2024 has been another fantastic year for the Bloomsbury Football family. We have given more young Londoners than ever before access to the power of football, increased our number of weekly sessions and created many positive football memories on & off the pitch. Some 2024 highlights include... ⚽️ 11 Girls Academy players being mascots at the UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley thanks to Mastercard. ⚽️ Launching our Girls Football Strategy, supported by Gate One. ⚽️ Hosting an event for our supporters at the House of Lords. ⚽️ Over 1,500 of our community joining us at The Emirates for our biggest ever EUROs watch party. Thank you to every individual and organisation who have supported us in 2025. By supporting our work, you are bringing the power of football to young people in London, helping them to become happier, healthier and more resilient individuals. We look forward to working with you in 2025 💯

Why we offer financial support ⚽️ At Bloomsbury Football, we believe that football has the power to transform young lives. On and off the pitch, we see our players become happier, healthier and more confident versions of themselves. In London, playing the beautiful game is prohibitively expensive for many families. From high costs of coaching and kit to travel expenses, financial barriers are preventing young Londoners from experiencing the benefits of regular football sessions with qualified coaches. When young people are prevented from getting on the pitch, we all lose out. Our financial support offers discounts from 50 - 100% off fees to low-income families across all our programmes. Applying for financial assistance is easy, and comes with no judgement. By tackling the financial barriers to play, we're ensuring that no young person is priced off the pitch with Bloomsbury Football.