Charlton Athletic are leading the way

The chance to play in a professional football stadium is a dream for many – and Sports Leaders in Essex are making it happen. The team from South Essex College – formerly Thurrock and Basildon College – has been instrumental in helping local authorities reach out to those most in need in the area. Earlier in the year, students from the college arranged a football tournament for Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust – to be held at The Valley, home of Charlton Athletic FC. “Bringing youngsters to a stadium like this is great because you get to see the looks on their faces when they run out onto the pitch,” said Neil Coates, Development Manager for South Essex College. “Oxleas provides mental health and learning disability services to the local London boroughs. The fact that our Sports Leaders have been asked to organise such a prestigious event is something to be proud of.” South Essex students - who have been training for the Level 1 Award in Sports Leadership and Level 2 Award in Community Sports Leadership - included Kelly Ridgley, Dennis Oware-Simpey, Jack Maulkerson, Jake Matthews and Jack Thomas. They put together the event for 16 teams and helped it run smoothly by acting as referees, scorers and organisers. “I really enjoyed the day,” said Kelly. “It has inspired me to go into sports development and event management as a potential career path.” They have now been asked to use the skills learned through Sports Leaders UK to run a schools tournament for Charlton Athletic. This will include 64 schools across the Greenwich and Bexley areas of the capital.