New project gives hundreds of families the chance to watch the Sky Blues
Hundreds of families from across Coventry will get the opportunity to watch the Sky Blues live – many for the first time – thanks to a new community project.
Coventry City Football Club, Coventry City Council and Coventry Sports Foundation (CSF) have joined forces to launch a City Families scheme, which is being piloted at the club’s next home game against Carlisle.
The schools which have been targeted for this pilot are: Aldermoor Farm, Ernesford Grange (primary and secondary), Sowe Valley, St Anne's, St Barts, Willenhall, All Saints, Howes, Gosford Park, Stretton, Whitley Abbey (primary and secondary), Baginton Fields, Alice Stevens and Blue Coat.
Up to 500 tickets for the game have been donated by the Sky Blues, which will form part of the whole experience on the day.
Families will first take part in a range of fun activities at CSF’s Alan Higgs Centre in Allard Way – such as face painting, arts and crafts along with bouncy castles. Lunch will be provided as well as return coach transport via De Courcey.
This experience will be sold through schools for £5 per person, of which money raised will go into the One Goal fund and help to deliver further opportunities.
The scheme is part of the wider One Goal community initiative, which has seen Coventry City FC partner with organisations such as CSF and Sky Blues in the Community to deliver a range of community activities to families in harder to reach areas of the city.
One Goal has also been backed by local businesses including Coventry Building Society, Pailton Engineering and Shortland Horne.
The idea behind the City Families scheme is to raise aspirations and also to increase opportunities to take part in sporting and educational activities.
Steve Waggott, development director of Coventry City, said: “One Goal has really taken off over the summer. We only launched it in July and already over a thousand people have had the chance to take part in activities thanks to the project.
“That ranges from a summer blast of sporting activity run by Coventry Sports Foundation, supported by Sky Blues in the Community, to our Family Fun Day at the Alan Higgs Centre.
“As a club, we have to make sure we are at the heart of the community and schemes such as this really do highlight the positive role we can play in people’s lives.
“The City Families scheme is an extension of the One Goal project and we are looking forward to welcoming hundreds of families, who rarely get to come and see a game live, here to the Ricoh for our match against Carlisle.”
Wendy Jackson, of Coventry Sports Foundation, said: “We have been absolutely delighted with the way One Goal has taken off.
“It’s been great to work with partners such as Coventry City Football Club in getting this initiative off the ground and we are all really looking forward to our first City Families match.
“It is very easy to take opportunities such as this for granted but I know from the early feedback we are getting that this will really mean a great deal to those families who get to take part.”
Nikki Clamp, of Coventry City Council, added: “This has been partnership working in the very truest sense.
“This is a real chance for children and their parents to have a great day out together, take part in a range of activities and watch live football. This project fits with our wider work to raise aspirations and enhance opportunities for families who would otherwise normally miss out.
“We are looking forward to a great day and it will be followed up with further games throughout the season with families in other areas of the city.”