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'Children in Need funding keeps kids off the streets'

Abigail JaiyeolaYorkshire, Sheffield
BBC Picture of young man in a black jacket stood by a 5 a side football pitchBBC
Abubakr, 18, has attended the club for seven years and said it has given him confidence and community

A sports club which runs activity sessions for young people in some of Sheffield's most deprived communities has said funding from BBC Children in Need helps keep them off the streets.

Cricket Arena offers cricket, football, badminton and padel for of all age groups, but runs free or low-cost youth sessions with the aim of engaging vulnerable children.

Children in Need provides a grant to the club, which Cricket Arena said has allowed it to support hundreds of young people.

Head coach Jawad Akhtar said: "It is about team-building, confidence; we have participants come who have never kicked a football in their life, and now a year on they are regulars."

The Community Interest Company (CIC) said 60% of its participants live in deprived areas of Sheffield.

Akhtar added: "We have a lot of deprived areas in Sheffield and we try to target them.

"We have people from different ages and different backgrounds. It just keeps them off the streets, it keeps them safe."

A group of young men in sports clothes and orange bibs on an astroturf football pitch
Cricket Arena in Sheffield organises a range of sports activities for all ages

Abubakr, 18, has been part of Cricket Arena since he was 11.

His father, Haider, said he was a "very shy" child with low self-esteem and he initially brought him to the club hoping the team activities would boost his confidence.

"He was very, very shy and he didn't really mix with anybody.

"I brought him to Cricket Arena when he was quite young, I thought it might do him good. I didn't think it was going to last this long to be fair but it did and he's still here!"

Abubaker said being part of the club has improved his people skills, allowing him to make new friends and feel part of a community.

"This is what Cricket Arena is all about, developing your people skills just as much as your sporting skills.

"What you see is us playing football but what it brings is a community, I have made a lot of friends on the way.

"Cricket Arena gives you another family to go to express yourself, to become more confident and believe in yourself," he said.

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