‘A new quarter to unlock opportunity’
- Daanish Butt, BCFC Foundation School Academies Officer
Through the BCFC Foundation, I work with local schools and youth groups to bring football and other opportunities to young people. We also provide other skills, giving young people a place to talk, build resilience, and find routes to different opportunities.
The reality is sadly that lots of those opportunities are hard to find, and usually involve going to a different part of the city. East Birmingham doesn’t provide enough for our young people who are so full of potential.
That’s why the Sports Quarter is such a big deal. Of course it’s centered around football and the club, but it’s going to mean so much more for the young people I work with.
Instead of seeing things close in their community, they’re going to see things open – community sports facilities, parks, new restaurants and entertainment facilities.
And instead of needing to look to other parts of Birmingham or the West Midlands for jobs, they’re going to be right here at home. The skills academy that will come with the Sports Quarter will give access to job opportunities at the heart of their community,
whether that’s one of the 10,000 construction jobs the site will create, or one of the thousands of jobs that will be created once the Sports Quarter is fully up and running.
I know those young people are excited at what the future could bring now that these plans are becoming a reality, and I’m just as excited to be working with the club as we build that future.
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