Palace for Life Foundation this week launched their Made in South London campaign, aiming to help transform 3,000 more young south Londoners' lives by raising £1 million.
As part of the campaign, the Foundation has shared stories from a range of young south Londoners they've previously worked with.
Archie, pictured above, was one of the recipients of the boot appeal launched in December 2021, which called for supporters to donate football boots to those in the south London community that need them most.
Palace for Life deliver numerous sport sessions in SE25 and beyond, giving young people access to football to keep them fit, healthy, help battle social isolation and to keep them off of the streets and away from crime and violence.
These sessions include football for Afghan refugees who have been housed in Croydon and it came to the Foundation's attention that many participants don’t have appropriate or safe footwear, and that some are attempting to play in flip flops or even barefoot.
This is a worrying trend across many Palace for Life sessions, where often young people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds do not have and cannot afford the appropriate footwear and equipment to participate in football.
Archie attends St Mary Cray Academy School, and was grateful to receive his first pair of football boots.
Archie thanked the Palace fanbase: “I like my new boots because they give me better grip on the grass and I didn’t have football boots ever before. I would like to say thank you to the Crystal Palace fans for donating them to me”
His teacher said: “The boot appeal has been an amazing for us because it’s given an opportunity for so many of the children who don’t have the boots or the chance to buy them to take part.
"We’ve had matches where they’ve had to wear brother’s boots, who are maybe teenage brothers, and they’re only ten years old. To have the opportunity for them to play football the way it’s meant to be played is brilliant.”
Archie was Made In South London.
Ruari Coyne from South Croydon has Down's Syndrome, and is one of the numerous participants who has benefited from participating in Palace for Life’s weekly Down’s Syndrome football sessions and from playing for the Foundation’s DS Eagles.
He is an ardent Crystal Palace supporter and regularly attends games with his dad, having both been Season Ticket holders. While he enjoys playing football as much as he does watching it, Ruairi only occasionally played at school or in the park, as he had few opportunities to play with other children who have Down’s Syndrome.
That all changed when he received a letter from DSActive about Palace for Life’s weekly football sessions at the Monks Hill Sports Centre in South Croydon on Wednesday evenings. When Ruairi first joined, he had delayed communication skills, which meant he initially found it challenging to interact with the coaches and other children at the session.
In addition, he had limited fundamental gross motor skills in relation to agility, balance and coordination. Nevertheless, he continued to attend the sessions every week, which has resulted in significant strides in his physical literacy.
Ruairi’s mother, Valerie, believes the Foundation’s structured football sessions has had a profound impact on his personal development:
“Ruairi looks forward to his weekly sessions and thoroughly enjoys meeting with his teammates to play football," she said. "He has become much more social and keen to interact with players, parents and staff. He has improved his football skills, coordination, muscle strength and social skills through playing football with Crystal Palace DS Eagles.
"Ruairi has also learned how to be part of a team, which helps him when he participates in events at school. Most importantly, he has increased his self-esteem, and consequently has become more independent, confident and mature."
The Foundation’s football sessions have also supported Ruairi’s confidence to communicate with his friends. As there are many Crystal Palace supporters in his school, Ruairi has become able to articulate his experiences to his peers about representing Palace in events and tournaments, which include attending the Crystal Palace Disabled Supporters' Party in December 2017 and meeting the first-team players and Roy Hodgson.
“I had so much fun at the Supporters' Party," Ruairi said. "My favourite moment was meeting Yohan Cabaye!"
Palace for Life’s Disability Officer has also noticed Ruairi’s growth as an individual through participating in the Foundation’s sessions, saying: "Ruairi is an absolute pleasure to coach. Every week when he arrives to the session he greets every single person.
"As he continues to expand his understanding of football, he is gradually building resilience and teamwork skills, which he evinced through the friendly against Millwall a few weeks ago. It is fantastic to see him developing both his football skills and soft skills through the Foundation’s football sessions."
Ruari was Made in South London.
For more stories from young south Londoners like Archie and Ruari, and to see how the Foundation helps a wealth of youngsters in our community, please click here.
