Success Stories

Success Stories – Key Milestones and Achievements

2004, Joe Sargison visits township in Soweto, Johannesburg and gives a ball to a group of youngsters that he watches playing with scrunched up rags.

In 2005 30 balls are taken to Guguletu township in Cape Town by 16 students and the first ever Balls To Poverty coaching session takes place.

In 2006, The Director of Communications at Unite The Union watches a DVD made of the Guguletu visit and offers sponsorship funding to support the programme.

In 2006, Balls To Poverty raised £25,000 at South Africa House, London for The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. The money is used to fund the management of The Happy Hearts Club in Pretoria, a refuge and education centre for young female footballers.

South Nottingham College Student Achievement Summary – at a glance

Between 2005 and the present...

182 students and 57 different staff members/sponsors/partners from around UK will have been involved by April 2012 since 2005.

90% continue education at College, graduate to University or find employment

30+ Students and staff employed by B2P Programme, College and/or associated Partners (2009 to present)

38,000 young South Africans and Ugandans coached in 32 townships and 4 Ugandan slum communities.

26,000 footballs and rugby balls – funded and distributed.

850,000 youngsters reached

16,000 school children in Nottingham received teaching/ coaching workshops delivered by Balls To Poverty 'role models'

10+ Coach education workshops (600 Coaches through the programme in South Africa and Uganda)

Balls To Poverty Student Awards (between 2008 and 2012 awarded to students for contributions to the community through their work on B2P) – British Colleges of Sport UK Ambassador, East Midlands FE Volunteer of Year, Nottinghamshire Sports Review Volunteer of Year Awards, Rushcliffe Sports Awards, City and Guilds Lions Award, Dame Kelly Holmes Volunteer Award – 400 hours + for 4 different students)

5 football pitches built complete with metal goalposts in rural villages, painted 4 primary schools, seedlings projects, bridges in South Africa and 2 primary schools and project in disabled school in Uganda. 10 full football team strips provided for 10 different village teams in The Eastern Cape (Mbashe), 10 full team strips provided for teams and districts across Cape Town. Footballs, pumps and equipment provided for these teams so they become self-sufficient.

150 + FA Level 1 Football Coaching Awards and 26+ FA level 2 Football Coaching Awards achieved by Balls To Poverty students since 2007.

20+ RFU Level 1 Rugby Coaching Award and 24 RFU Rugby Ready and Rugby Leaders Awards achieved by Balls To Poverty students since 2010.

140 + FA Step into Sport Award/ FA Positive Futures Awards (100 – 200 hours of community coaching) and 140+ V Awards for between 50/100 and 450 hours of voluntary community coaching/ teaching (nationally and internationally) achieved by Balls To Poverty students since 2007.

16 soccer scholarships in USA won by students on the Balls To Poverty Programme (2008 – 2011). These students return from USA to meet with current students (role model)

Joe and Student role models have visited 10 colleges and institutions around UK (including Nottingham schools and Universities, Mansfield schools, Leeds college and Leeds Metropolitan University, Manchester college, University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) and Westminster college in London) to deliver presentations to other young people on their experiences and life choices.

Over 25 students have fulfilled media commitments (ITV, BBC TV and Radio, Evening Post, Trent FM, Heart FM etc.)

Programme Awards and Student Achievements

2007 - The Association of Colleges awards South Nottingham College a Beacon Award in for Balls To Poverty and students from the College make presentations at the key Sponsors Dinner in Westminster in July 2008.

2008 - Ben Elliott (student on the Balls To Poverty Programme) wins Student of the Year Award.

2008, Joe is announced one of only four UK "Community Champions" by The Daily Mirror and is invited to meet with Gordon Brown at Downing Street.

2009 - Balls To Poverty is awarded Project of The Year at The Rushcliffe Sports Awards 2009 and Kyle Wright (student) wins Volunteer of The Year at the same ceremony.

2009, Connor Hardy is selected to represent The British Colleges of Sport as a UK Ambassador for his community work on Balls To Poverty.

2009, Balls To Poverty was chosen by The City of Nottingham as the Community Project to represent the City in The World Cup 2018 Bid for The English Football Association. Joe Sargison is a member of the Bid team.

October 2009, Joe is awarded The Pride of Britain Award for ITV Central for his work on The Balls To Poverty Programme.

2010 – Balls to poverty is nominated as Charity of Year by Heart FM and also by Football League Charity Awards

2010 - Joe unites with The Pride Of Britain winner for ITV Ulster to extend Balls To Poverty to Northern Ireland.

2010 - Kyle Wright (student) is selected by City and Guilds to speak at The Annual Lions Award (530 delegates) in London to showcase his development through Balls To Poverty.

2010 - Kyle Wright and Joshua Stevenson (student) were both short-listed to the last five nominees at The Nottinghamshire Sports Review in the Sports Volunteer of The Year categories.

2010 - Connor Hardy is crowned East Midlands FE Sports Volunteer of the Year, supported by The Association of Colleges, EMDA (East Midlands Development Agency) and England Hockey.

2010 - Tom Hodgett (student) awarded Student of the Year and Governor's Student of the Year Award.

2010 - Matt Thomas (student) wins Volunteer of the Year Award at Rushcliffe Borough Council Awards.

2010 - 4 students awarded the unprecedented Dame Kelly Holmes Award for over 400 hours of voluntary community work both internationally and in UK.

2011 - Julie Huby, The Balls To Poverty Programme Co-ordinator, is named "Woman of Substance" in Nottinghamshire round of awards for her inspirational work on The Balls To Poverty Programme (2007 to present).

November 2011 - The Balls To Poverty Programme wins The Annual Queen's Anniversary Award and Joe, staff and 5 students (selected from 2005 to 2012) attend official ceremonies at The Guild Hall and at Buckingham Palace to receive the award.