Meet Onside Soccer – One of Our 2026 Incubator Finalist

Onside Soccer: using football to help young people find confidence and purpose

For some young people, football is much more than a game. It can be a place to belong, a chance to build confidence and, with the right relationships around them, a pathway towards a very different future.

That is the thinking behind Onside Soccer, which uses football to connect with children and young people who may otherwise be overlooked or disengaged.

Through regular football sessions, mentoring and leadership opportunities in schools, churches and local communities, Onside creates spaces where young people can develop confidence, resilience, character and a sense of purpose.

But football is only the starting point.

At the heart of Onside’s approach is the belief that lasting change comes through consistent relationships with trusted adults. Young people who initially come along to play can go on to receive mentoring, take on leadership roles or become coaches themselves – gaining skills and confidence along the way.

Over the past year, Onside Soccer has worked with around 850 children and young people, while also supporting families with positive, affordable activities and helping churches build stronger relationships with young people in their communities.

One parent, Richard, has seen the long-term impact first-hand. Two young people supported by Onside went on to gain their FA qualifications before studying Sport Science at university. One is now a secondary school PE teacher, while the other has worked at the Juventus Academy in Bahrain and now works in analysis and scouting with Premiership and Championship clubs.

Now Onside wants to take its approach much further.

Its Onside Playmaker programme equips local churches with the training, resources and digital tools they need to run consistent, relationship-centred football programmes of their own. The aim is to create a simple, repeatable model that churches across the UK can use to connect with young people and create pathways into mentoring, youth activities and wider church life.

Over the next five to ten years, Onside hopes to build a growing network of churches using football to engage young people – combining excellent sport with trusted relationships and opportunities to discover their potential.

Because for Onside, the goal isn’t simply to get more young people playing football. It is to help them discover where they belong, what they are capable of and who they can become.

Find out more at onsideministries.com

Cinnamon Incubator Final 2026

Onside Soccer are one of five finalists at this year’s Cinnamon Incubator Competition, taking place on Thursday 12 November at St Peter’s Church in Notting Hill.

For more information about the event email sarah.taylor@cinnamonnetwork.co.uk