A Safe Space to Play and Grow: Highlights from Sir Bobby’s Street Reds Autumn term 2025

The Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation continues to support weekly Street Reds sessions delivered by Manchester United Foundation (MUF) at Manchester Academy, Moss Side.

Throughout 2025, they provided consistent, free-to-access football activities for young people aged 8–18, offering a safe and inclusive environment at the heart of the local community. The programme plays an important role in removing barriers to participation and providing regular, structured activity.

In the last quarter of 2025, it was encouraging to see strong levels of engagement, with an average of 81 participants attending each session. Over 75% of these young people took part in five or more sessions, highlighting the trust and value placed in the programme by the local community – and their love of football.

This term saw a significant number of returning participants, alongside an influx of new faces, particularly within the 8–9 and 16+ age groups. The younger cohort included many siblings of existing participants who have now reached the eligible age, while older participants had been primarily referred through organisations seeking supportive, positive experiences for their young people.

Vice Chair of the SBCF said, “Sir Bobby’s Street Reds is one of our flagship programmes. Sir Bobby kicked the original programme off back in 2016, and he would have loved to see it thriving now. When Nicky Butt visited recently to give out Christmas footballs to the kids, it was so uplifting to see both the smiles on their faces and their delight in playing for Sir Bobby’s Street Reds. We look forward to seeing the programme continue to grow throughout 2026”.