Swansea City AFC Foundation's Jacks Welcome project helps people seeking asylum to learn English

Swansea City AFC Foundation’s Jacks Welcome project has helped more than 25 people seeking asylum to develop their English language skills, as well as offering football sessions for participants.

Meeting at Pure Football, the programme - funded by the Looked after Children team in Neath and Port Talbot - offers weekly English lessons led by a qualified English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher, and uses football as a way to help develop language skills.

Jacks Welcome began in September 2023 after a number of young people seeking asylum attended the Foundation's Premier League Kicks session in Townhill. 

As they became too old for the Kicks scheme, they looked for a new opportunity to play football and Jacks Welcome was introduced to help.

It has proven to be a success and - to celebrate Amnesty International’s Football Welcomes initiative - participants from the project were invited to be guard of honour for Swansea City’s recent home game against Rotherham United.

This gave attendees the opportunity to walk onto the pitch and wave flags to greet the teams onto the field for the Championship fixture at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Alison Cole is a social worker, and part of the Looked after Children team in Neath and Port Talbot, which supports a number of the participants on the programme, and she believes the use of football has a means of aiding learning has been highly effective.

“When I had young people arrive, part of my role was to look at projects that were available within the local areas which young people could get involved with,” said Cole.

“It was a common theme that the young people had an interest in football.

“We were involved in the Kicks programme when they were under 18. I could see how much they enjoyed going to football and how it had an impact on their emotional wellbeing, and I noticed a difference when they weren’t attending.

“By incorporating football within the English lessons, it’s made a massive difference to the young people we work with.

“I’ve noticed a huge difference in their level of understanding in their English, and their communication. 

“We work with a number of young people from various countries and we’ve found their participation in Jacks Welcome has helped them socially.”

Eric Hogan delivers the ESOL lessons for the young participants. Having been part of similar programmes with Real Madrid’s charitable organisation, he understands the importance they can have.

“I put together lessons to help improve their spoken, written and reading English,” said Hogan.

“The activities are based around football to encourage their English and to help them work with each other in the classroom and on the pitch.

“I’ve been an English teacher in the past as part of the foundation at Real Madrid, providing similar sessions to this one, so this felt perfect for me to come and help the Swansea City AFC Foundation and the participants on Jacks Welcome.

“It’s hugely important for these young people who are looking to improve their English, and the drive is coming from them as well. They want to be here and improve their communication which will help them in their everyday lives in the communities they’re living in, and using something as universal as football is a big benefit.

“The programme has had such a big impact in terms of how much they have come out of their shells.”

A key element for the participants has been an hour-long football session following their ESOL lessons, giving them the opportunity to take part in fun activities and socialise with participants from a similar background to themselves.

Dan Garnett, sports and education coordinator for Swansea City AFC Foundation, leads the football session, and feels it has been crucial to their development.

“It’s been fantastic to see how all the participants from different areas, with several different language barriers, are brought together when it comes to the football. They all just jump in and take part, have a laugh and it’s brought them close together,” said Garnett.

“The football focus helps them to integrate with each other, but that helps them outside of the sessions as well.

“Using the power of football brings them together by sharing a common interest. They’re all there to play football, so it gives them that chance to work with other people and develop their confidence.”

Swansea City midfielder Jamie Paterson paid the participants of the programme a visit, taking the opportunity to observe a session and interact with the attendees.

Paterson was amazed to see the impact the programme had already had on the participants, and was pleased to see it bringing them together.

“It’s helping people out that are coming to the UK and it’s a real eye opener for me,” said Paterson.

“They are young lads and you can see they are all having a laugh and a joke and just having a good time.

“I was told one of the lads has only been here for a year and he can speak fluent English, so it’s a really great thing that they are doing."