Gap Programme Update 2010/11

Year 1

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2010/11

Abroad

Lessons learnt

Success Stories of 2010/11

Forward 2011/12

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2010/11

The Arsenal Gap Programme has been running since 2006/07. In 2010/11 Arsenal in the Community received

funding from The Brestwer Trust, to run the programme for three years. The first year of the partnership saw

Arsenal in the Community take on 20 Gappers (our highest intake to date) to once again offer football

provision in local Primary and Secondary Schools across four London boroughs and on 4 different continents.

2010/11 Gappers

In pairs, Gappers were placed in local Secondary Schools with the task of delivering extracurricular football

session to young people who do not get the opportunity to represent their schools at competition level. After

school sessions were set up for those who wished to develop and improve their football skills. This also

included organised matches across Gappers Schools. PE lessons, break time and lunch times were used by the

Gappers to run small sided tournaments (3 v 3, 4 v 4) across all years with prizes given to eventual winners (see

programme extract on page 4).

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Each week the Gappers took part in coaches training. These sessions were to develop the Gappers coaching

skills as each week they delivered practical sessions to their peers. This was delivered by our experienced AITC

staff. Our aim was to pack the timetables with as much practical training as possible as we aimed to prepare

and develop our coaches as best as possible for their time in London and abroad.

Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Saturday

AM Coaching in

local

Secondary

Schools

Staff Training Staff Training Coaching

in local

Secondary

Schools

Staff Training or

Training Coursses

Coaching at

Soccer

Schools

PM

Gappers successfully took part in and completed a number of courses. The FA Level 1 course took part in

September. This also included Emergency First Aid and Child Protection workshops. Gappers also took part in

the FA Youth Module 1, two day TEFL course specially designed for coaches, and a Small –Sided Referees

Course. To aid their development the Gappers completed introductory sessions in Badminton, Judo and

Volleyball, which is part of our 4sport Programme. This provided them with an insight into how we engage

young people through other sports and also gave them an opportunity to be coached and play the sports!

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Abroad

In January 10 coaches were selected to fly in Part 1 abroad and work with our Community Partners in Kenya,

Mozambique, Israel, and our Soccer School Partners in Indonesia and Greece/Cyprus. The remaining 10 stayed

in London to continue their development, eventually flying abroad in Part 2.

Kenya/ Alive & Kicking and Greensteds International School/www.greenstedsschool.com/

www.aliveandkicking.org.uk/

An extensive schools programme was put together by our Community Partners, where our coaches spent up to

a week at 10 different schools developing their team and football skills. This allowed our coaches to engage

with just under 30,000 children aged 4 – 16 during the 6 months in Kenya, mainly delivering sessions in the

regions of Nairobi, Naivasha and Nakuru.

Mozambique/ Grupo Desportivo de Manica (GDM)/ www.fcmanica.com/

GDM is a sport and recreation club that was founded in 1980 by the community of Manica, in the province of Manica, Mozambique. In a time of brutal civil war; ordinary people expressed their need for social cohesion, hope and a belief that life under the Mozambican sun can be good. Working and living with FC Manica, the Gappers delivered football sessions to FC Manica as well as the younger generation in the surrounding communities. It was a huge eye opener for our coaches as they were treated the same as the team and this got them helping to plough and sow grass seeds into their fields as well as turning out for the 1st team on a few occasions.

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Israel/ United Jewish Israel Appeal (UJIA) / www.ujia.org/

In partnership with UJIA, this programme took our coaches to a small northern town called Acco. Using the

power of football Gappers work with young people across, Primary and Secondary Schools and special schools

with the main aim of bridging links with the local Arabs and Jews. This experience was a huge cultural lesson as

football was used to engage with and bring together two very different cultures in once place.

Greece & Cyprus / Soccer Schools/ www.arsenalfootball.gr/

Gappers travelled around Greece and Cyprus as the worked with our official Arsenal Soccer Schools partners.

They were privileged to travel to places such as the elite academy in Loutraki and held a session for locals in

Paphos. Travelling around was a great for the experience for the Gappers as they were able to experience , see

and absorb much of Greece and Cyprus.

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Indonesia / Indonesia Soccer School/ arsenalindonesia.com/

Based in Jakarta, our Gappers worked with SSI, one of Arsenal FC’s largest Soccer Schools. Apart from working

at SSI weekly, they also spent their time helping and teaching English at a local school, Kembang Elementary,

located in the heart of Jakarta. They also held coaching clinics at various International Schools.

2010/11 saw the introduction of the Summer Gap Programme. This is a ‘condensed’ version of the full Gap

Programme targeting university students who are passionate about sport and would like the opportunity to

spend 4- 6 weeks of their Summer holidays abroad. As it was a pilot programme, we initially targeted

universities where they had a large sports programme as we felt that a sporting interest was vital for the SGP.

Practical training was provided for those that applied for the programme and In the month of August 2011,our

first ever Summer Gappers flew to the region of Mwanza in Tanzania to work with charity called the Chekasana

Children’s Trust and Tanzanian Street Children for 6 weeks. Whilst in Tanzania they delivered football sessions

for children in the local area, many of whom are orphans and ‘street children’. This proved to be a humbling

and exciting trip for the coaches that went and off the back of the success of the pilot we are planning to

expand the programme the summer of 2012.

Harry (left) Francesca (right) taking a session in Mwanza Francesca after a session with local school children

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Lessons learnt

The Gap Programme has proved to be a very popular programme. With 4 people initially forming the

programme in 2006/2007 it has steadily increased each year.

There has been a range of Gappers who have applied and take part in the programme, from pre and post

University students to those wanting to take a career break and try something different. With this knowledge,

we have been able to target our advertising to internship websites as well as sites specifically promoting Gap

Years. This has helped increase the number of people we reach which has also help to improve the quality and

standards of the programme.

Overall this allowed Gappers to deliver and assist in session with people they would not normally. This

effectively improved and developed their coaching skills as well as providing them with a deeper insight into

Arsenal in the Community and what we do.

Success Stories of 2010/11

Below are just a few stories of Gappers and how the programme has helped them when it concluded.

Drew Tyler spent his 4 months in London coaching at Grieg City Acadmey (GCA), Haringey. Such was his

impression there on his return from Mozambique he was offered a part time job coaching the Sixth-Form

football teams. Whilst balancing his duties at GCA, Drew also coaches our Under 7’s and 8’s Advanced Teams.

Steve Eadon was selected to coach at The Brewster Trust Inaugural Barbados Football Camp after he spent

Part 2 of the Gap Programme in Kenya. As a keen linguist and a speaker of three languages, Steve volunteered

his services on our languages programme on his return. An opening came up within the department and now

Steve is employed on a part-time basis by Arsenal in the Community to head up our Hertsmere project. His

duties involve a day delivering the Arsenal Double Club (languages & literacy) in Primary and Secondary

Schools during curriculum time followed by running Soccer Schools during selected school holidays.

Now coaching at our Arsenal Soccer School in Bahrain is Will Rourke. Will the youngest of the 2010/11 intake

and was often referred to as the quiet one. His time in London extended through to Part 2 and allowed him to

develop not just as a coach but as a person. When he came back from his stint in Mozambique he successfully

applied for a job at our Arsenal Soccer School in Bahrain.

Below is a testimonial which sums up Will’s development and growth as part of the Gap Programme.

“Will has been absolutely superb – mature, good coach, popular with the staff/ players and parents alike. He

has been a complete credit to the intern/ gap project and I will employ him permanently as soon as I am able

to... Keep up the good work in producing such good young coaches as Will.”

Paul Shipwright – Director Bahrain Arsenal Soccer School

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Forward 2011/12

One of our main targets is to increase the number of intake each year. For 2011/12 we are aiming to recruit a

minimum of 30 students for the full Gap Programme with an additional 10 for the Summer Gap Programme.

This will further increase and widen our links with local schools and increase the number of young people we

engage with.

We are also aiming to increase the number of Charity Partners we work currently work with. Countries that we

are looking at are South Africa and Turkey, where we already have in country contacts who work for local

charities.

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