To celebrate the Fulham FC Foundation’s 20th anniversary, programme leader Hussein Mohammed, and sessional coaches Dylan Payne and Keira Barker, share their experiences.
Why did you decide to work for Fulham FC Foundation?
Hus: I grew up going to the Kicks programme every week. I met most of my friends through Kicks, so I know how big an effect and impact it can have on a young person’s life. The Foundation really helped me growing up, so coming to work for them was an easy choice. When I was around 19/20, I’d just stopped playing football, and the person who used to train me was working with Fulham and asked if I wanted to get involved. I didn’t think I’d be here for as long as I have been, but I’ve just really enjoyed working on the programme.
Dylan: I was involved in the Kicks programmes when I was younger, me and my friends would go every week. For me, it was easy to come back and give back a bit to all the coaches that helped me and my friends. It was good fun, it was enjoyable, and I saw the benefits it could have to the kids who went, so I thought that was important. It was one of the coaches at a Kicks session, Paul Smithers, who got me and my friend onto the FA Level 1 course. They covered that for us, which was just an amazing opportunity to get into coaching and explore a new avenue.
Keira: I was a participant at Kicks, something I looked forward to every week, so I knew the benefit it had. Paul and Sam [Hadley] and all of my previous coaches encouraged me to get into coaching, got me onto the Level 1, and there is nowhere else I would have wanted to coach.
Can you tell us a bit about the programmes you run?
Hus: At Kicks, we get funded by the Premier League to run free football sessions. We try to focus mainly in deprived areas, providing free football sessions for young people who are in those areas. Within the programme we do a lot of other things as well. We work with under-represented groups, trying to give them as many opportunities as possible – we have the Girls Kicks programme, Refugees Kicks programme, we’re starting to work with schools and kids with disabilities. The whole point is trying to give as many opportunities as we can to young people, whether that’s working for us, playing more football every week, sending them to learn from grassroots teams, or any other pathway that we can provide.
Dylan: I used to do more coaching with Kicks but now I’m doing an internship with the Academy’s sports science department. I still try and fit some coaching in with the Foundation as well.
Keira: I’m on Soccer Schools at the moment, which is really good. We welcome girls and boys, and it’s been nice to see more girls turning up. There’s been more since the Euros which is just really nice to see.
How does the Kicks programme affect our communities and its participants?
Hus: Because we have such a wide variety of young people at Kicks, it affects everyone differently. For some, it’s just a weekly football session. For others, there’s a lot of stuff going on at home and it’s a chance for them to get away from it. Some people don’t have many opportunities outside of school to play sport, so having a free football session every week is that opportunity for them. And for some people it’s providing a pathway throughout their journey in life, if they don’t know what they want to do. It’s just about helping people, and helping communities be more inclusive.
Dylan: The only thing I’d add is about the Football & Education programme, which is kind of an extension of Kicks. I went onto the F&E programme, but a lot of that was through Hus and the other coaches at Kicks. They were pushing me to go towards it and really advertised it well. They weren’t forcing me to do it! But they gave me the chance to explore it, and for me that was an amazing opportunity. If I hadn’t done that, I don’t think I’d be doing what I am now.
Keira: Soccer Schools is pretty similar to Kicks in that we’re based in so many different areas, which gives everyone the opportunity to get involved.
How has the Foundation changed during your time here?
Hus: I’ve been here 15 years now, and I wouldn’t say there’s been big changes, more that we’ve improved what we do. It’s always tried to be as inclusive as possible, but as the years have gone on we’ve learnt new things and better ways of doing these things. We’re at a good place where we’re continuing to try to make the Foundation as inclusive as we can, to allow as many people as possible to enjoy what we do.
What does the annual charity matchday mean to you?
Hus: For me, it’s about letting people know – mainly our supporters – what the Foundation does, what we do for the community, and how they can support that work, whether that’s through fundraising or whatever. That’s what the charity matchday means to me.
What is your fondest memory of your time at Fulham FC Foundation?
Keira: We did a trip to Manchester for the Premier League Kicks Cup which was good fun. We played against all the other Kicks teams, so that was really good.
Dylan: When we were Kicks participants we used to go on little tournaments. The Premier League Kicks one is up there, but we also used to go on little tournaments with our group just from our local Kicks. Those were really good fun. They’d be to places like Colchester, but it was always good football with your mates, so I always remember those.
Hus: There’s too many good memories to single any one out. A lot of them are trips and tournaments, getting young people out of their comfort zone or out of their local area, so they get to experience something different. Just seeing how much they enjoy it is great.
What would you like to see from the Foundation over the next 20 years?
Hus: I just want to see it still going and growing, like it’s growing now. I just want it to reach as many people as possible, and see an impact in all the communities that we’re working in.
Dylan: From what I’ve experienced, I’d just like to see a continuation from the coaches of that selflessness and willingness to help, because they’re helping others out of the kindness of their heart. I got given an opportunity to go and do my coaching badge, just because somebody felt like it would be a good opportunity to give to a young person. I think that’s really important for the Foundation, because that can have a big impact on peoples’ pathways.
Keira: I completely agree, just continue going the way we’re going, inspiring young people to get involved, whether that’s playing or coaching. Just more of the same.
