5 days ago
Bantams Community Foundation gets grant for mentoring scheme
Bradford City FC Community Foundation has secured funding to launch a new support programme.
The foundation has been awarded a £100,000 grant from the SkyBet EFL Building Foundations Fund to deliver "The Way Forward," a football-based mentoring scheme for young men aged 18 to 24 in Bradford.
The project is aimed at those in some of the city's most deprived areas, who are facing high unemployment, poor mental health, and limited opportunities.
The programme will use sport, coaching, and life skills training to build confidence, resilience, and pathways into education or employment.
Bradford City FC Community Foundation was inspired by Gareth Southgate's response to the Centre for Social Justice's "Lost Boys" report in March 2025.
Ian Ormondroyd, chief executive officer of the Foundation and a former Bantams player, said: "Growing up in Bradford, I experienced first-hand the power football naturally has in changing the trajectory of young men's lives.
"Our commitment to this city is to support everyone, from all backgrounds, and that includes young men who are struggling with finding their place in society.
"This grant allows us to support them in their futures, and have a say in ensuring they are viewed as positive, contributing members of our society.
"I'd like to thank SkyBet and the EFL for providing us with these vital funds, so we can continue to make a difference in Bradford."
Pavan Sembi, the Foundation's project lead for the programme, said: "Following extensive research in our community, a large number of young men expressed feelings of being forgotten in their communities.
"That made our task simple – we need to empower young men to take control of improving their circumstances, and empower them to be supportive, contributing members of their communities.
"'A loss of identity for men and boys in deprived areas is something we have seen and heard consistently throughout our work.
"The Way Forward is our chance to engage them in positive activities, imbue them with the skills they need to grow and develop as people and professionals, and create a lasting legacy they can carry forward into adulthood."
The Building Foundations Fund, now in its second year, is a sponsor-backed fund dedicated solely to community activity.
It offers 72 EFL clubs the chance to bid for grants of up to £100,000 to invest in ongoing programmes or to develop new initiatives.
The other clubs awarded funding in this round were Colchester United, Coventry City, Huddersfield Town, Shrewsbury Town, and Walsall.
