Brentford FC programme participants graduate
Brentford FC takes part in the Twinning Project, which is a partnership between Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and professional football clubs with the objective of twinning every prison in England and Wales with a local professional football club.
The aim is to engage approximately 48 prisoners per year in each of the 117 prisons in England and Wales in football-based programmes to improve their mental and physical health, wellbeing and obtain a qualification which will help improve their life chances and gain employment on release.
Brentford FC is one of 46 Premier League and EFL football clubs that are engaged with the Twinning Project and paired with their local prisons. Through the initiative they have been working with PE officers from the Prison Service to deliver coaching, stewarding, lifestyle skills, and other employability-based qualifications to prisoners to help them prepare for release.
Over the past month, the club’s foundation has had twenty inmates from HMP Bronzefield and Feltham Young Offenders graduate from the course which will give them further opportunities for employment when they are released.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure working with both sets of inmates across Bronzefield and Feltham. Over the course of 12 weeks, we saw improvements in the inmates’ knowledge, confidence and attitude highlighting the benefits of the project”.
Graham Goodden, Community Engagement Manager
As the inmates were graduating from the course the club’s staff working on the project were invited into each prison to take part in exhibition football matches with both the prison staff and inmates. To mark the special occasion they also invited some of Brentford FC Women’s players and their manager, Karleigh Osbourne, to join in on the celebrations and take part in the matches.
“I thought it was a really good experience and great for the inmates to be able to gain a qualification which will benefit them in the future. Most of the inmates I spoke to seemed really keen to continue coaching once they get released and I’m happy to hear that the Trust will be supporting this”.
Sophie Troth, centre midfielder for the women’s team
