ISSE Ltd’s SCORE Development Centre celebrated a special day in Beeston as young people received Leeds United shirts and shorts – but the message of the day went far beyond football.
Delivered by ISSE Ltd in partnership with Leeds United Foundation, the SCORE Development Centre uses the power of football to engage young people, build confidence, create opportunities and bring families and communities together.
Under the fitting theme “Marching On Together”, young people at the Development Centre were presented with Leeds United kits, creating a fantastic sense of pride and belonging.
But today wasn’t simply about wearing the famous Leeds United colours. It was about what those colours can represent – unity, identity, friendship and a community marching forward together.
ISSE was delighted to welcome a number of community leaders and guests to join the young people, including:
Dr Haji Mujahidy
Tawfiq Wahab
Piteu – Leeds United Academy
Al Haj Giash Uddin
Kutub Zilanee
and other valued community representatives and supporters.
Guests spoke to the children and families about the importance of community engagement, cohesion and creating positive opportunities for the next generation.
A key message throughout the day was that football can be a powerful vehicle for much more than sporting development. It can break down barriers, bring together people from different backgrounds and give young people somewhere they feel welcomed, valued and part of something positive.
For the children, receiving a Leeds United shirt and shorts was a special moment. However, the significance goes much further than the kit itself.
When our young people pull on the Leeds United colours at SCORE, they are not simply wearing a football shirt.
They are part of a team. They are part of their community. They belong.
SCORE Development Centre aims to ensure that football is accessible and inclusive, while providing a positive environment where young people can develop their skills, make friendships, build confidence and aspire to achieve more.
The project also provides an important platform for parents, community organisations, football partners and local leaders to come together around a shared ambition – giving young people the best possible opportunities.
Humayun Islam, Founder and Director of ISSE Ltd, said:
“A huge thank you to all our community guests and representatives who joined us, to our colleagues and friends from the football and academy community, and most importantly, the biggest thank you goes to the brilliant children at our SCORE Development Centre.
“Seeing the smiles and pride on their faces when receiving their Leeds United kits was fantastic. But SCORE has always been about more than just football and today demonstrated exactly that.
“A football shirt can represent so much more than the team you support. It can create a sense of belonging, identity and unity. We want our young people to feel that they are part of something and that their community believes in them.
“I am incredibly proud of our ISSE SCORE Development Centre project and what it continues to become. Through football we are bringing children, parents, community leaders and organisations together and creating opportunities for young people.
“Thank you to Leeds United Foundation for continuing to work alongside us and helping us use football as a force for positive change.
“This is what Marching On Together means to us – young people, families, football and communities moving forward together.”
ISSE believes sport has a unique ability to connect people who may otherwise never meet.
Through SCORE Development Centre, the organisation wants young people to develop as footballers, but equally importantly, to grow as confident young people who respect others, contribute positively to their communities and believe in their own potential.
The day demonstrated the value of collaboration between grassroots community organisations, professional football, community leaders, families and young people.
The Leeds United kits may have been what the children took home – but the message they shared together was much bigger:
One team. One community. Creating opportunities together.
Marching On Together.
This post is based on a press release issued by ISSE Ltd
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This is a very good thing to the community. It helps this young people to keep away from the streets, drugs, bad things that can influence them to do bad things and end up in prison or Hospitals under mental health act and they tomorrow is gone