Each month, Manchester City’s Charity, City in the Community (CITC), is spotlighting its work and programmes through the voices and stories of its participants across Manchester.
This month, CITC spoke with Natnael, a former Premier League Kicks participant, who has returned to CITC sessions as a volunteer on Soccer School sessions.
In the interview, Natnael discusses his journey with CITC, and how his time as a participant influenced him to go on to become a coach saying: “I think my time on Kicks influenced me to go into coaching because as a participant, seeing how the coaches helped me, and all the other kids made me inspired to be like one of these guys and help the children.
“It feels amazing to give to kids what I got from coming here. It makes me want to do it even more because I know how I felt when I came here.”
He added: “It has helped me be aware of what it means to be a coach.
“It’s not just about what kind of drills you have, it’s about how to take responsibility and how to make the sessions engaging and fun.”
City in the Community’s Soccer Schools engage participants aged 6-16 in open access football, increasing physical activity throughout the school holidays with regular sessions in communities across the city.
Participants are provided with free full day structured coaching sessions as well as free food provision at all sites to tackle holiday hunger throughout the city.
Sessions are also adapted to include educational and supportive workshops to highlight important topics such as mental health and anti-bullying.
During the summer, Kelloggs Football Camps support CITC Soccer Schools sessions, providing free sessions for six weeks.
For more information visit: https://officialsoccerschools.co.uk/manchestercity/
With thanks to the Manchester Active and Kelloggs Football Camps for their support of City in the Community’s work and summer Soccer Schools session.
Protect your home and support City in the Community—sign up for Blue Emergency Cover using code CITC20 to contribute to the campaign while enjoying reliable boiler insurance.
To find out more, visit: https://blueemergencycover.co.uk/
With thanks to Blue Emergency Cover for their support of the We Are CITC series.
ENTER THE CITC PRIZE DRAW
City in the Community empowers healthier lives with city youth through football.
To find out more, visit www.mancity.com/citc or follow @citcmancity.