Liverpool Homeless Football Club

Liverpool Homeless Football Club
Clubname	Liverpool Homeless Football Club
Fullname	Liverpool Homeless Football Club
Founded	2009
Ground	Varies (Liverpool)
Capacity	Community pitches
Chairman	Community board
Manager	Volunteer coaches
League	Street Soccer / Homeless World Cup pathways

Liverpool Homeless Football Club is a community-based football initiative founded in Liverpool in 2009 to engage people affected by homelessness through sport, social support, and reintegration pathways. The club collaborates with local charities, sporting bodies, civic institutions and international networks to provide coaching, welfare support and competitive opportunities. It has been associated with grassroots football structures, street football movements and partnership programmes linking local authorities, universities and philanthropic organisations.

History

The club emerged from collaborations among Liverpool FC, Everton F.C., The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool John Moores University, University of Liverpool, Liverpool Hope University and local homeless charities such as Crisis (charity), Shelter, The Whitechapel Centre and MCR Pathways. Early pilots drew on models from the Homeless World Cup and the Big Issue street outreach programmes, influenced by campaigns like Centrepoint and initiatives led by Billy Moore and volunteers from Liverpool Street Football Club. The initiative received support from civic bodies including Liverpool City Council, local Members of Parliament and civic leaders connected with events at St George's Hall, Liverpool and outreach around Bold Street and Liverpool ONE.

Mission and Activities

The club’s mission aligns with objectives advanced by Homeless World Cup, Street Soccer USA and The Prince's Trust to use football as a tool for social inclusion, health promotion and skills development. Activities include weekly training sessions at community pitches, workshops delivered with NHS England mental health teams, employability training linked to Department for Work and Pensions pathways, addiction recovery referrals coordinated with Turning Point (charity) and legal support through Citizens Advice. The club stages community tournaments in partnership with Sport England, The Football Association and local foundations like LFC Foundation and Everton in the Community.

Team Structure and Membership

Membership is open to adults referred by partner organisations such as St Vincent de Paul (SVP), The Salvation Army, Emmaus (charity), Crisis Skylight and probation services associated with Merseycare NHS and HM Prison Service. Coaching staff have included volunteers trained through courses endorsed by The Football Association and coaching CPD with assistance from Liverpool Community College and Knowsley Community College. The organisational board combines representatives from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, civic leaders, charity directors and former players who liaise with agencies like Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council and Wirral Council.

Competitions and Achievements

The club has participated in street football events inspired by the Homeless World Cup and regional tournaments supported by UEFA community programmes and FIFA Foundation grants. Players have been selected for regional representative sides that connected with training exchanges featuring staff from Manchester United Foundation, Chelsea Foundation and Arsenal in the Community. Local accolades include recognition at civic award ceremonies held by Liverpool City Council and nominations for community sport awards administered by BBC Sport and Sport England. The programme has contributed participants to employability successes highlighted by National Careers Service case studies and social impact reports commissioned by Liverpool John Moores University.

Community Impact and Partnerships

Partnerships extend to public health providers such as Public Health England, social care agencies including Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service for outreach, and academic research collaborations with University of Liverpool Institute of Psychology, Health and Society and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. The club has worked with arts and cultural partners like FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) and Liverpool Biennial for creative inclusion projects, and with media and advocacy groups including Big Issue and Homeless Link to amplify participant stories. Multi-agency coordination involved local police community teams from Merseyside Police and housing associations such as Liverpool Mutual Homes.

Funding and Governance

Funding sources have included grant awards from Sport England, charitable trusts like The National Lottery Community Fund, donations routed through The Clothworkers' Foundation and sponsorship partnerships with local businesses and foundations including Lloyds Bank Foundation. Governance structures follow charity best practice with oversight from trustee boards, safeguarding policies aligned with Charity Commission for England and Wales guidance and impact monitoring drawing on methodologies used by Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Financial administration has been supported by partnerships with community accounting services and pro bono legal advice from firms engaged with LawWorks.

Media Coverage and Public Perception

Coverage has appeared in local and national outlets such as BBC News, Sky Sports, Liverpool Echo, The Guardian and features on programmes produced by ITV and community radio stations like Radio Merseyside. The project has been framed within broader debates on homelessness featured in reports by Crisis (charity) and policy briefings from Centre for Cities and Institute for Public Policy Research. Public perception has been influenced by advocacy campaigns involving public figures associated with Liverpool FC Legends and community ambassadors linked to Everton Legends appearances at fundraising events.

Category:Football clubs in Liverpool Category:Charities based in Liverpool Category:Street football