Barclays Open doors to skills that last a lifetime

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Barclays has today opened up the Barclays Community Football Fund to the public, as part of its commitment to make football more accessible and growing participation at every level across the UK

The fund is available for communities and initiatives wishing to start offering football, those keen to expand their existing provision to new audiences or those already delivering football to under-represented young people.

Supporting the initiative is a campaign that will sit across multiple channels including VOD, OOH, social, radio, digital and PR, focusing on the soft skills that can be developed and learnt through football.

The campaign, produced by M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment, showcases the doors that are opened up to young people by football, with a 30s spot showing a young girl taking confidence from the football pitch into presenting to a school classroom.

Alongside the grants, the programme will be offering training and resources to 5,500 community groups across the UK, engaging more than 300,000 young people in inclusive football activities.

The programme had already opened up to initiatives associated with Sported, the charity that promotes fairness and equity for young people through grassroots sport and physical activity, and will focus on young people from lower socio-economic and under-represented groups: including racially diverse communities, people with disabilities, and people from the LGBTQ+ community.

Tom Corbett, Barclays Group Head of Sponsorship and Media said; “Playing football isn’t just about the skills you learn on the pitch, it’s about the skills that last a lifetime off it. From confidence, to teamwork and leadership, it’s important that all young people have the chance to develop these skills through football. That’s why we have launched the Barclays Community Football Fund, as part of our longstanding commitment to ensuring everyone is given equal access to the beautiful game.”