Our Young People Visit Nottingham Forest's City Ground
Our young people were invited to Nottingham Forest's City Ground for a behind-the-scenes tour, meeting first-team players and sitting in the manager's dugout.
Step Out, Stay Out was recently invited to Nottingham Forest's City Ground for a behind-the-scenes visit. For many of the young people in the group, it was their first time at a football match.
They got out on the pitch, into the press box, and sat in the manager's seat and the dugout. First-team players signed shirts and programmes for the kids. It was a proper day out.
More Than a Stadium Tour
The young people who came along were selected based on where they were in their journey. Some are doing well and deserved a reward, while others are at a point in life where positive encouragement and new experiences can make a real difference.
We even had one young person’s mum bring him all the way from Skegness to attend. That kind of trust from families means a great deal to us.
<Image Gallery / Collage>
How It Came Together
The visit came about through Tremayne Blair, Youth Outreach and Engagement Coordinator at Nottinghamshire Police. It's a great example of what can happen when organisations work together to create positive experiences for young people. Our ongoing partnership with Nottinghamshire Police has already helped us expand our youth work on the Clifton Estate, and this visit is another step in that relationship.
SOSO has a long connection with Nottingham Forest. Elizabeth Clough, daughter of legendary Forest manager Brian Clough, is a trustee of Step Out, Stay Out. She's been to our Friday sessions and seen the work first-hand.
Forest continue to invest in local communities through the Nottingham Forest Community Trust, running programmes across Nottinghamshire that support health, wellbeing, and youth development. Having our young people at the City Ground is part of that same commitment.
Thank You
A big thank you to Nottingham Forest for making our young people feel so welcome, and to Tremayne Blair and Nottinghamshire Police for setting it all up.
SOSO founder Pete Bell said:
"Many of the young people who went to the Forest game had not been to a game before. It gives them a golden opportunity to meet the players, to go on the ground, go in the press box."
Days like this are what SOSO is all about. ⚽