EFDN welcomes the Bristol City Robins Foundation to the Network!

EFDN welcomes the Bristol City Robins Foundation to the Network!

We are delighted to announce the Bristol City Robins Foundation as our newest member of the EFDN Network! The official charity of Bristol City utilises the inspirational power of football and the club badge to build lasting relationships and improve lives in the local community. The Foundation hopes to collaborate with like-minded organisations across our European Network by sharing best practices around innovative programmes.

They strive to make a positive difference for all through sport and learning. They aim to do this by providing fun, safe and enjoyable activities whilst making sure that quality counts in the services they provide. They are passionate about providing opportunities for everyone to access and get involved in the work that they do.

During the 20th EFDN Conference in Athens we spoke already with their Chief Executive Dan White.

MISSION, VISION AND VALUES

Mission: To bring the club and community together.

Vision: Grow together. Improve lives. Inspire our community.

Values: Collaborative, Honest, Ambitious, Maverick, Progressive

Hubert Rovers, CEO of EFDN: “I’m very happy to announce the Bristol City Robins Foundation as new member! They fulfil an important role within their agglomeration by delivering programmes and services to support those who are sidelined in society. They reach out to those in need due to a special focus on Health & Wellbeing and Education & Employability programmes in their community. Their presence at our most recent conference in Athens also shows that they are keen on sharing practical knowledge and open to learn from like-minded organisations within our Network.”

Find here below some of the successful formulas of the Bristol City Robins Foundation:

WE ARE CITY

They aim to make playing for Bristol City accessible to as many people as possible by forming associations with teams of groups of people who are frequently marginalised in society. Our Associate teams wear the red jersey and represent Bristol City in local, regional and national fixtures and tournaments. They provide their associated teams with Bristol City kits and aim to support them in any way they can, whether this be by: offering coaching, providing assistance in hiring facilities or showcasing the teams to raise awareness.

They are proud to have welcomed teams into the Bristol City family as part of the We Are City project, including:

• Bristol City Panthers (LGBTQ+)

• Bristol City Walking Football

• Bristol City Deaf

• Bristol City Down Syndrome

• Bristol City Frame Football

• Bristol City Powerchair

• Bristol City Cerebral Palsy

ADD Mentor

ADD Mentor is a targeted mentor project aimed at the hardest-to-reach young people based in Hartcliffe and Knowle West. The project sees trusting relationships built between known young people in the community partnered with professionals who have lived similar lives but were given the opportunity to change. The main focus is on the amount of positive hours the young people can spend with their mentors and away from negative influences in their lives. Mentors spend 8-10 hours per week with their mentees. This is quality 1-2-1 time participating in activities, anything from walking to visiting a climbing centre. Mentees will then be introduced to positive activities within the community where they will be supported into engaging through volunteering and engaging further in education or employment.

Project Inc.

Project Inc. is Bristol City Robins Foundation pan-disability football programme which provides an opportunity for both young people and adults with disabilities the opportunity to make friends, get active and have fun.

F3

F3 welcomes women and girls of all playing abilities and fitness levels from the age of six years old to get involved in the project. Qualified Bristol City Robins Foundation coaches lead each of the sessions which entail a number of fitness exercises and mini-games. The relaxed nature of the project allows females to progress at their own pace.

For those who want to progress into more competitive football, the Robins Foundation has established relationships with teams across the region enabling participants the chance to find a grassroots club that is right for them as well as helping girls looking to progress further onto local talent pathways.

Robins Talk

One in six adults in the UK has experienced a form of depression. They want to help you make small changes to your life to make it better. Through Robins Talk, their mental well-being session, they hope to help the participants to get active and offer them the chance to talk.

An hour of exercise can help boost your mood, self-esteem and confidence. The sessions are open to any sex or gender, participants do not need to be receiving help or diagnosed to attend. The sessions are inclusive and social, football is more than a game and they want to show that. With adults becoming less active through the pandemic take a step back to socialising and being active.

Slim2Win

Slim2Win is a men’s health and fitness initiative specifically developed by the Bristol City Robins Foundation. It uses the competitive nature of football to facilitate weight-loss amongst programme participants. The programme supports men with an unhealthy BMI (of over 27) to lose weight and improve their general health and wellbeing through football.

Participants of the programme play against one another in a 7 aside league. However, there is a difference with the Slim2Win league, as players are able to score ‘goals’ off of the pitch by losing weight which are converted into ‘real’ goals and counted in their competitive matches.

The programme provides an opportunity for individuals to play football with others who share the same objective of losing weight and becoming healthier individuals. This provides a supportive and fun environment to motivate participants to meet their weight loss targets.

BA (HONS) SPORTS BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

This ground-breaking course provides three years of hands-on experience of setting up and running your own business alongside your studies. If you love sport, and want to learn more about setting up and running your own projects and ventures, this course is ideal.

Ran in partnership with the University of the West of England our BA (Hons) Sports Business and Entrepreneurship course is a radically different degree for those looking to study entrepreneurship in a leading sports business environment.

Participants will be based at Ashton Gate Stadium, with access to the stadium’s impressive facilities, staff, coaching and networking. Based in their own office environment, they will develop projects, attend meetings, manage budgets and build useful skills and contacts.