Social Value Report 2024-2025

FM Conway Extends its Support of the Street Soccer Foundation

As important as it is, there is more to being part of the fabric of your community than simply supporting the work of great charities and community organisations. Sometimes it is about seeing and understanding a need in your community and taking a chance on people and organisations with the passion to change things. Ten years ago, that’s exactly what FM Conway did with the Street Soccer Foundation, supporting the vision and drive of its founder, Keith Mabbutt. We funded the first-ever Street Soccer Academy programme, hosted by Maidstone United, which took homeless young people off the streets and used football as a way to engage them while delivering life skills, health and wellbeing support, and employment and training advice. Now in its 10th year, the Street Soccer Foundation continues to use the power of football to positively change the lives of homeless and vulnerable young people across the country through its 12-week personal development courses. The courses cover a mixture of football coaching, positive mindset training, mentoring support, skills and employability workshops, and aim to help participants progress into employment, education, or further training. The Academy programme, which is now run in partnership with professional football club community organisations throughout the UK, saw 12 different FM Conway-sponsored Academy groups supported over the 2023-24 season. These groups benefited from coaching and development through partnerships with high-profile clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and West Ham United.

FM Conway’s investment has already seen the Academy programme become the UK’s number one football-led project tackling youth homelessness in England, and the business will now look to further build upon its relationship with the Street Soccer Foundation as it heads towards its 10-year anniversary.

“When I walked into FM Conway’s offices 10 years ago, I had the idea and a

passion to help make a positive change to youth homelessness. When I left, I had the funding to prove the concept could work. FM Conway’s continued belief and support of our charity has enabled us to grow year on year as we strive to help as many young people as we possibly can through our proven Academy programme.” Keith Mabbutt, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Street Soccer Foundation

80% of participants transition into work, education, or further training

480 hours of support and education

158 young people engaged