Manchester United Foundation and Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation have launched a community football project – Sir Bobby’s Street Reds – as a lasting legacy to the former England footballer.
Street Reds is a free football provision run by Manchester United Foundation. Former Manchester United goalkeeper Alex Stepney attended the celebratory event to launch the new project in Sir Bobby’s name at Manchester Academy in Moss Side.
Sir Bobby’s Street Reds, funded by the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation, will run on a weekly basis by Manchester United Foundation coaches.
The launch event saw more than 50 young people from all different backgrounds come together to take part in a football tournament. The children were later presented with trophies and gifted footballs, as a touching tribute to Sir Bobby’s belief that ‘the greatest gift a child could receive is a ball.’
Delighted to attend the event as a former teammate and friend of Sir Bobby, Alex Stepney said: “This is an endorsement of what Sir Bobby did for his entire career; even when he was playing, he was all about helping kids, and obviously he later had his own soccer schools. Now, with Manchester United Foundation arranging these sessions, it would mean so much him.
“When I joined Manchester United with the great Sir Matt Busby and Jimmy Murphy, you became part of a family, there was so much respect there, and that is what these kids are learning about, through Manchester United Foundation and Street Reds.”
An advocate for inspiring courage and resilience in youth, Sir Bobby’s legacy lives on in the charity work of The Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation, whose work focuses on improving the lives of those affected by war and conflict. The partnership between the two charities has been ongoing for many years and the funding from Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation means that children from the Moss Side area – many of whom are refugee children – have a safe and inclusive space to play the game they love.
Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation chair, Stephen Cross, explained the decision behind the funding. “Sir Bobby’s Street Reds goes back to the core concept of Sir Bobby’s vision many years ago in creating the Bobby Charlton Soccer Schools. We believe that Sir Bobby would be immensely proud to see this reincarnation of his concept, which is now pointed towards helping victims of conflict. It is a very natural intersection of the elements, and we are delighted to team up with Manchester United Foundation to bring this to a reality.”
Sir Bobby is remembered not only for his on-field exploits, but his off-field charity commitments. The location of the sessions at Manchester Academy, where more than 70 nationalities are represented, is a poignant one – as Sir Bobby and his wife, Lady Norma, visited to launch the Foundation’s partnership with the school in 2016.
Chief executive of Manchester United Foundation, John Shiels, said: “Sir Bobby would have been in his element launching this Street Reds session, which now proudly carries his name. His love of the game, and the benefits that it could provide in helping young people grow physically, mentally, and socially, is the simple concept that he took to all corners of the globe through his soccer school.
“Now, being able to offer a safe space to children through this Street Reds session, where the young people can come together and play football in his adopted home of Manchester, would have made him so proud.”
Street Reds is a free evening football provision ran by Manchester United Foundation with 23 sites across Greater Manchester and beyond. Funded by the Premier League (PL Kicks), the sessions give 8–18-year-olds an opportunity to gain new skills and qualifications while bringing community cohesion to areas of high deprivation.
