Our Friday night football final began with a gathering of young people from each of our hubs across the Bradford district.

“It was good to meet other people my age from other areas, people that I wouldn't normally have the chance to make friends with. We had such a laugh, and we exchanged numbers at the end. I'm hoping I see them again soon”, Jack.

Let the football begin! We enjoyed a great display of sportsmanship as the games played out. Teams were separated into groups of U14s and U18s. For this tournament we have been delighted to see how much the older players have encouraged and supported our younger participants.

Our theme this summer was #AllEqual #AllOne. Inspired by the Euros, we celebrated diversity in football. Our theme was reinforced by website content (click here), posters around each centre throughout the entire tournament, featuring QR codes with links to inspirational videos. We also created screensavers, so the youngsters could enjoy having their Euros team on their phones!

“Football would be nothing without diversity; greatness comes from anywhere, and there's no room for racism anywhere”, Premier League.

After a nobly fought tournament, we are pleased to announce our Summer 2024 Streetwise ‘Gurmit Chand Memorial Shield’ winning teams. Huge congratulations to:

• U14'S - Bracken Bank United
• U18's - Keighley Three Lions

“I really enjoyed the tournament, it was great to play with my mates, I was buzzing to win the tournament. I was very proud of myself and our team. Looking forward to seeing the photos of us lifting the trophy”, Cian.

We are also pleased to celebrate our individual winners of the OIAM award. A young person from each centre is honoured for displaying our values; Compassion, Honesty, Integrity, Excellence. We are so proud of you all;

• Manningham - Jamal A
• Windhill- Kevin W
• Keighley - Zidan R
• Canterbury - Saiid Al-M
• South BFD - Zac C

Question: “Why was I voted the OIAM award? I was so happy when you said my name!", Zidan.

Answer: “It's because you showed our values throughout the 10 weeks. Showing encouragement to all, including everybody, your team and the opposition. You played the game in the right way”.

"A fantastic evening with the sun going down, up to 70 young people from across the district involved. It was great to see so many young people make new friends with young people from across all parts of the district, such a diverse group of young people mixing in well and playing the game competitively, but in the right spirit, with lots of skills on show. It was also great to see peer-to-peer leadership, the young people reminding their teammates of the values throughout the night. This is really encouraging, so hats off to all staff who have been consistently reiterating the values' week on week in the communities they serve”, Dave Wilson, OIAM Community Activator.