Our Leeds United Foundation football project for Gypsy and Traveller young people

Leeds GATE has teamed up with Leeds United Foundation and community organisations like BARCA Leeds to provide free, accessible football and multi-sport activities for Gypsy and Traveller young people in Leeds. Sessions will run every two weeks on a site in Leeds and a youth centre in Holbeck, with a particular focus on breaking down barriers to participation. 

The new programme will use the power of sport to improve opportunities for young people to create clear pathways into mentoring, leadership and personal development. 

Gypsy and Traveller youth on sites can’t often access activities where they live, despite being a real centre of community life.  

This project takes place right on site where people live, to bring activities straight to young people, tailored to their skills and interests, with support from Barca Leeds.  

Running activity and sport sessions on site for our young people has been an important goal for residents that we have worked towards. 

This project is the latest step in our work making Gypsy and Traveller sites in West Yorkshire better places to live by  play, improving accessibility and accommodation for residents and our members.

We asked our young people how they felt now having this on site and here’s some of what they said: 

“I play football at school and love that I’m able to play at my home too with coaches.” 

“I like football being at my site, it means we don’t have to travel, and I know everyone I’m playing with. I prefer this.” 

 ”I love that we have been given our own football and Leeds shirt which I will look after. I have been using my football most days to learn skills.”

We are so happy to have something for our young people to look forward to and improve their skills doing something they enjoy – we can’t wait to see how they progress.