Joe Sargison

First impression of Joe is height. 6 foot 5 inches of him, so he’s quite imposing. He’s direct too… a northern upbringing taught him to say what he thinks and ask what he wants to know. He is also full of warmth and energy with a ready smile and a positive outlook on life… most of the time!!

The Richard Attenborough film Cry Freedom made a massive impact on him as a young man in 1987. The film documents the developing relationship between newspaper editor Donald Woods and Steve Biko, an anti apartheid activist who is murdered in police custody. Woods’ photos of Biko’s body raised world awareness of the atrocities being committed in South Africa and led to him being exiled by the South African Government.

In 2004 Joe visited the Soweto township and bought a football for some children who were playing barefoot with a punctured ball. Youngsters ran from everywhere to play football. That image stayed with him. In 2005 Joe, along with 16 students from South Nottingham College and 3 staff members, returned to Soweto with 30 footballs and some football strips: played more football with more kids and joined the Premier Cup football championships in Cape Town. Small beginnings which grew into a national project and 23,500 balls by the start of the World Cup in June 2010.

In 2007, two years after the first Balls to Poverty tour, Joe was invited to South Africa House for a fund raising event for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. Deep in conversation with the guest at his side, he discovered this was Dillon Woods, son of Donald…..and the partnership of Balls to Poverty with the Donald Woods Foundation began.

In 2008, Joe was announced a “Community Champion” by The Daily Mirror and was invited to meet with Gordon Brown at Downing Street. In October 2009, Joe was awarded The Pride of Britain for ITV Central Region for his work on The Balls To Poverty Programme. He will unite with The Pride Of Britain winner for ITV Ulster region in July 2010 to extend Balls To Poverty to Northern Ireland.

Achievements and Qualifications

FA Academy Managers Licence - 2010
1st 4 Sport Level 4 (UEFA ‘A’ Licence) Football Coaching Licence - 2007
FA Psychology For Football Level 5 - 2006
FA Coach Educator Levels 1 and 2 - 2005
Post Graduate Cert in Further and Higher Education - Nottingham Trent University - 2004
MSc in Sport Management - University of Sheffield - 2001
B.A (Hons) in Modern Languages - University of Manchester - 1996

Professional History

Director of Athlete Performance Programme: South Nottingham College
Director of ‘Balls To Poverty’
FA Football Coach Educator delivering Levels 1 and 2 coaching courses.
Member of Coaching Staff for The English Colleges Football Association National Team.
Working in Nottingham Forest Football Club Youth Academy.
Delivered coach education workshops for The South African Football Association in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009
Coached teams at Nottingham and Sheffield University and Nottingham Forest Ladies Team in The FA Women’s Premier League