AFC Bournemouth "committed" to help tackle anti-social behaviour
The targeted mentoring initiative aims to get young people out of crime and into sport
Last updated 4th Jul 2023
AFC Bournemouth have joined forces with Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner to address anti-social behaviour (ASB).
The AFCB Kicks campaign helps get young people, who are involved in county lines, into sport and support them with weekly 1:1 mentoring.
Steve Cuss, head of community at AFC Bournemouth, told us: “It's important for us to offer an exit route for young people who’d like to play football and other sports.
“The disciplines that come with playing sport and football are very much transferable into young people’s everyday life.”
Young people from the ages of 8 to 18, many of whom come from the youth justice system or are identified as being involved in County Lines or violent activity, are referred to the programme as a way of helping them “create a better future in their lives.”
Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner, David Sidwick said: “From the moment I came into office I have heard concerns around ASB from Dorset residents, which is why I created the Op Relentless Community Fund to help Dorset residents tackle ASB in a way that suits their community.”
The football club uses sport and recreational activities as a vehicle to boost and promote positive behavioural change during early intervention.
Mr Cuss said: “We realised that we could have an impact on young people so we're attracting a lot of young people to come and play football, but we have some rules like you've got to be respectful to everybody that's playing and that's really important.”
AFCB Kicks targeted programme focuses on keeping the young person busy, essentially keeping them off the streets and out of trouble in turn creating a safer environment for the public as “young people, likely to cause trouble, will be getting involved in different sporting activities instead of roaming the streets looking for something to fill their time."
This campaign is just one of 21 projects across Dorset to receive funding from the PCC. The OPCC provided £5000 through the Operation Relentless Fund towards the cost of this initiative, which launched in September 2022 and continues through to the end of August.
Operation Relentless was launched in 2021 by the Police and Crime Commissioner to tackle ASB throughout Dorset. Its aim is to remind residents and visitors that the force takes a tough approach when it comes to dealing with ASB.
PCC Sidwick said: “I am pleased to have been able to visit AFC Bournemouth and see the work going on through the AFC Bournemouth Kicks Targeted scheme to help young people that may be heading down the wrong path in life.
“It is clear that the young people involved are enjoying the session and learn valuable skills that will help them further on in life, such as teamwork and communication.”
The KICKS targeted program assists in the reduction of anti-social behaviour mainly by providing a service for the participants that is bespoke and tailored to them, ensuring they want to engage and participate in the program to assist in reducing the time spent committing crime within the local communities.
Mr Cuss said: “We know that there's many challenges out there for young people, so we try and take football out to the community and put it on their doorstep.
“Sometimes people make the wrong choice and that's where we can step in and help and give them some guidance and show them some different avenues they can go down.”
PCC Sidwick added: “If ASB is the virus that plagues our communities, creating practical, workable, community-based solutions is the vaccine.”