In this episode, James speaks with Allison Tripney, the Head of Community at Leicester City Football Club. Leicester City in the Community (LCitC) harnesses the power of football to inspire individuals to achieve their full potential in their communities.

LCitC runs a range of programmes designed to support the regions underserved communities, children, and young people. They support mental health, STEM skills and back to school programmes for children, as well as helping people seeking asylum through football. The programme had LCitC partnered with Amnesty International UK, Leicester City of Sanctuary and After 18 integrate into their new lives through the vehicle of football.

During the pandemic their one-to-one interventions through their Foxes Friday programme and their Back to Friends Back to School initiative have helped children grown in confidence and re-acquaint themselves with school life. Their new outdoor initiative partnership with the National Forest Company, supports children visiting and learning in nature. And for those not enamoured by football, their new Urban Foxes will bring young people from across the city, delivering skateboarding, Parkour and BMX-ing.

The Club's home on Filbert Way boasts of an extensive portfolio of sponsorship and advertising opportunities - plus a range of award-winning matchday hospitality packages. Young people from across Leicestershire have benefitted from Leicester City in the Community’s football development programs. With inclusive practice and football development running throughout the year, their key areas of work are education, community engagement, and health and wellbeing.

In a nutshell, Allison and James talk about:

• Allison's background and her early sporting memories
• Her secondary school teaching career
  What drew her away from classic school teaching into sports foundation education
• What they initially set to achieve with LCitC programs
• The areas of LCitC Allison restructured when she became Head of Community
• The business and funding model of the organization
• The challenges and opportunities for LCitC
• An introduction to the Urban Fox Program

…and so much more!