Arsenal was Match of the Day for YMCA Norfolk lads

Featuring on BBC’s Match of the Day programme and playing against an Arsenal side have been highlights of the Street Life Soccer project, which a dozen or so YMCA Norfolk residents are currently engaged in.

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Funded by the Big Lottery Fund, Norwich City Football Club have teamed up with Blue Cat Initiative to offer young homeless people education, football and a positive influence on their lives.

The Street Life Soccer programme takes young people from Norfolk-based homeless and housing projects and offers them the opportunity to engage in football-related activity and training, based around the Carrow Road stadium.

A dozen or so YMCA Norfolk residents are part of the project which has also involved trips to play in a tournament against Arsenal Football Club’s Social Inclusion squad at the Emirates Stadium, London.

YMCA Norfolk residents who were part of the Arsenal squad were: Grant Sleight, Liam O’Reilly, Declan Missen, Robert Armes, Dave Malcolm, Dale Watkins, Ruben Ferreira, Cameron Mulley, Jack Walton and Lewis Conner.

A tour around the stadium was also included as was a team building workshop with the Arsenal boys, before the squad took part in several eight-a-side games, several of which they won.

The Match of the Day cameras also visited Street Life Soccer and the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation and the resulting video saw several YMCA residents featured in a recent programme.

Website address: www.streetlifesoccer.org.uk