Everyone has the right to live, learn and work in safety, free from abuse, harm and neglect

BYSA – 20 years of Grassroots football and mentoring

Birmingham Youth Sports Academy – 20 Year Celebration, Pathway Group joined Aston University as headline sponsors to support BYSA in their 20th anniversary.

Friday the 13th of May 2022 – marked an evening to celebrate a group that has spent two decades changing young lives in Birmingham.

Twenty years ago, the Birmingham Youth Sports Academy (BYSA) brought together ten youngsters for some recreational football.

BYSA now caters weekly for 250 youngsters, boys and girls, supported by a team of qualified coaches and volunteers.

The idea is to keep young people safe, help them with self-confidence, provide mentoring, and assist them in keeping physically and mentally well.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the kids were encouraged to keep fit and safe.

As part of the mentoring work, a project has been aimed at reducing knife crime.

Exciting plans for the future include establishing a permanent base and setting up an inner-city football league.

The 20th-anniversary event at the Eastside Rooms in Birmingham saw many very proud people, some of them sporting a badge to signify the most recent accolade, the receipt of a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the MBE for voluntary groups.

“It is amazing how quickly the 20 years have passed, but thanks to our wonderful volunteers, so much have been achieved,” said Safaraz Ali, CEO of the Pathway Group and a long time supporter and ambassador for the BYSA.

“We are proud to be associated with and to be a sponsor of the exceptional 20th-anniversary celebration. Business should be part of its community, so the chance to support BYSA is a privilege.”