Michaela Matthews
Michalea has been involved in many different types of volunteering over the last 3 years, her roles including: visited local schools involving pupils in research for child protection, held 2 fun days in Warrington covering workshops and tournaments. She helps out at the Warrington Community Football Partnership Street Football League – which was set up to help integrate socially excluded young people into the community.
She also coaches weekly at girls and boys soccer schools, holiday fun days and in primary schools. She was involved in coaching at weekly Brazilian Street Football sessions in Whitecross, a disadvantaged area of Warrington. She was also responsible for the production of all the publicity material for the above events. In addition to this activity, she helped to establish a weekly girls soccer school within the Childrens Centre.
Her commitment has been invaluable in helping less advantaged young people enjoy the benefits of sport, working with hard to reach groups and coping with disruptive behaviour. On one particular occasion she helped to encourage one particular disruptive member of the group to become actively involved in the sessions resulting in him supporting her role and helping others within his group! She has taken on roles such as taking the warm ups, training, coaching, play offs and an evening Awards Presentation in front of over 50 people.
To help develop herself and assist her own skill development, Michaela has taken courses such as FA level 1, Good Practice Child Protection, Top Play Certificate, Coaching Disabled Performers, UK Level 1 in Sports Leadership and UK Level in Community Sports Leadership.
She has been instrumental in the increased uptake of girls at the local girl’s football sessions which have developed into a club in its own right and she has actively promoted the sessions by taking on the responsibility of publicity. Her commitment has ensured the development of the players to such an extent they now partake in competitions. She has been behind the increased participation of football in the community and has taken on additional courses to ensure she can cater for all abilities and diversities of players.
People that haven’t had a chance to take part in a variety of different sports (low income families etc) have had the chance to try different sports at no cost to them. She has constantly advertised different sports event coming up around the local schools e.g. multi sports to ensure increased participation and also increase awareness of sports events in the community.
She helped to prevent “fit kids” project from finishing by canvassing local schools with taster sessions advising children and young people of the service available and helped to introduce new young people to the peace centre. She has been involved in Street football at the local university as an assistant organiser, running the event every Friday night, organising the referees, setting up and taking down equipment and keeping the scores on the league table – which would not have taken place without the support of the volunteers.
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