IMAGE: Local youngsters hone their skills on Ballers’ Academy Programme 

As Euro 2024 heads into the knockout phase, we take a look at how Ballers Academy, a Community Interest Company based in Docklands Settlements, is making football and other sporting activities available to everyone in Canada Water.  

Ballers’ Academy Director, Jamie Mehmet, and Richard White, Community Director, joined us on the morning of England’s much-maligned 1-1 draw with Denmark in the tournament’s group stages. Neither of them saw the game, as they had 220 children registered for sessions that evening. “We’ll probably be missing a few kids tonight,” says Richard. “But for us it’s business as usual. We’ll be celebrating the Euros with various themed activity within our existing provision.” 

Ballers provide a lot and for a huge range of people. Across all of their programmes, they’re engaging with over 1,000 local people every week.  

Activity is split into two strands. Ballers was originally founded to nurture local talent and offer talented youngsters a route into the academies of professional clubs. Ballers’ Academy Programme features showcase games against sides such as Crystal Palace, Charlton and Leyton Orient. “We’ve just had a goalkeeper sign for Millwall,” says Jamie. On the same weekend they took a group of under-10s to compete in a tournament at Premier League club Brighton FC. The team won the tournament, highlighting the young talent we have here in Southwark. 

The Ballers Academy Programme isn’t just for those aspiring to break into elite football; it’s a hub of opportunity for local children of all abilities and ages. “Our goal is to provide a high standard of coaching to all local children, regardless of their ability,” says Jamie. “Whether they aim to progress into a professional environment or seek additional training while playing for their grassroots teams, we are here to develop everyone who joins our programmes. Some children simply want to make friends, while some parents are looking for a safe environment to keep their children engaged and off the streets. We are here to support everyone.” 

The other side of Ballers’ work is their Community Programme. This encompasses sessions aimed at various groups that might otherwise miss out on the benefits organised sport can bring. “For example, our FNF (Friday Night Football) sessions,” says Richard. “We run that at Peter Hills School’s 3G synthetic pitch. There’s many different reasons why we do it. We knew that there was a need for teenagers engaging in positive activities. It contributes to working against youth violence, anti-social behaviour, but there is also an opportunity for young people who want to enjoy playing football on a nice facility.” 

Kicking off very soon will be Ballers’ summer programme, funded by Southwark Council. “We’ll be providing a free holiday camp along with a free meal, working with families on low incomes to make sure children don’t go hungry in the holiday period, and are also engaged in a positive, healthy activity,” says Richard.  

IMAGE: Ballers’ disability multi-sports sessions make sport accessible for all

Ballers get the funding to provide these activities for free, so teenagers aren’t priced out. “We believe that every child should be given the same opportunity, regardless of their parents’ wealth,” says Richard.  

Ballers provide weekly sessions for all ages and abilities, including multi-sports sessions for both children and adults with disabilities, which include football, cricket, basketball, bowling and more.. There’s an adult disability football team under the Canada Water banner. Ballers work with local charity Bede House and specialist school Cherry Garden on these sessions, which are also open to private individuals. Ballers also have a working partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society to provide monthly chair mobility sports sessions, which was highlighted during Dementia Action Week in May. 

British Land sponsors Ballers’ Canada Water FC under-14 team. “They were able to receive training facilities for the whole season,” says Jamie. “I’ve worked with British Land for coming up to 10 years, since they’ve been in the area. Over the years they’ve contributed towards kits, facilities, training equipment. They’ve been very supportive.  

“They really support what we do and they know that we are providing what we say we’re providing. They’ve also given advice – helping us write applications for facilities and providing letters of support, explaining why they think we’d be a good fit to manage the facility.” 

With huge interest locally in Ballers’ Academy programmes, Jamie and Richard are keen to find more space to accommodate their large waiting list and the growing number of participants each week. For now though, most of the action takes place at their base in Docklands Settlements, and at Peter Hills school, with a session at St Paul’s sports ground once a week. 

To find out more about Ballers Academy’s various programmes, view timetables and register your interest, visit ballersacademy.co.uk