QPR in the Community Trust: Using the badge of a
professional football club to “create opportunities, inspire
change and help people fulfil their potential”
Keon Richardson 2015/2016 Department of Health kr376@bath.ac.uk
QPR in the Community Trust is the charitable arm of Queen
Park Rangers Football Club, who uses the appeal of sport
and the QPR badge to empower adults and young people
from the West London community.
I was responsible for coaching football sessions within the
Youth and Communities Department. The department
utilises football as a social development tool to empower
young people who are at risk to: anti-social behaviour, gang
participation and unemployment. The three key football
intervention programs to tackle these social issues are:
Kicks - Organised football sessions for hard to access
young people aged 12-19 from disadvantaged communities.
Pupil Referral Units - Football sessions delivered in
specialist units for students aged 11-16 who have been
expelled from school.
Sport and Thought - Football as “therapy” for school
students aged 11-16 with emotional and behavioural
difficulties.
Beyond coaching football on council estates, my biggest
challenge was empowering these young people. I had to
create opportunities to improve their attitude, confidence and
self-esteem, and reduce their risk to the social issues within
their area. In order to create opportunities, I had to develop
my capital.
Bourdieu’s (1986, p.114) concept of capital is a set of
“usable resources and powers” one owns, which may allow
an individual to improve their social mobility. Capital exists in
three forms: economic, social and cultural. Economic capital
relates to the amount of money someone possesses. Social
capital is a group of established social contacts an individual
develops through time and effort. Cultural capital refers to a
person’s knowledge, experience, qualifications and skills.
I had to particularly develop my social and cultural capital
(contacts, experiences, knowledge, qualifications) to
understand how to tackle the social issues the young people
were at risk to. This involved attending coaching courses,
workshops and networking at meetings, to become more
resourceful in signposting young people to opportunities
they’re interested in, and divert them away from crime and
gang participation.
This takes a pro active approach which can be exhausting.
However, seeing young people socially develop through my
efforts was personally rewarding.
How do football intervention programs impact young
people from disadvantaged communities’ life decisions
and opportunities?
Pupil Referral Unit Football Session
Stadium Tour for a Community Group from Northern
Ireland
Premier League Kicks Cup