A borough wide football tournament is keeping young people active whilst giving them a chance to make friends and play sport.
Fairplay Football was set up by North East Lincolnshire Council in October 2025 thanks to funding from The National Lottery Communities Fund – delivered through weekly sessions and quarterly tournaments led by community groups around the borough including:
- Fusion
- The Trin
- YMCA
- Immingham Oasis Academy
- Creating Positive Opportunity (CPO) – who operate from Centre 4
- Grimsby Town Foundation
- Centre 4
The tournaments are open to boys and girls age 14 to 16 with the weekly sessions for 8- to 16-year-olds. It aims to provide a cost-free opportunity for the younger generation who are signposted via their local schools, the Youth Justice System, Young People’s Support Service and more importantly by their peer groups.
Providing some excitement during the international break, teams battled against one another before Fusion 1 beat Fusion 2 in what was a close fought finale.
The winning team – Fusion 1
Winning aside, for the kids who turn up week in week out, it’s about more than just kicking a ball around. Teamwork, determination and social skills are just some of the important lessons they learn whilst taking part.
Having proved the football tournament is a success, the project is now launching quarterly bonding activities to bring together the young people who engage from Trin, Oasis and YMCA to give everyone an equal opportunity to play a sport they love.
Aside from social skills, it is also a brilliant way of getting the younger generation into a safe space and keeping them active.
Community Coach Tom Claypole, Grimsby Town Foundation, believes this scheme is the perfect answer to giving young people a safe way of getting out and about.
“It’s brilliant – a lot of these kids don’t get the chance to play football elsewhere and it’s great that they can come to us three days a week for training and then having the tournament too.
“Some are at every session and they love it – it’s a chance to see their mates and stay active. You don’t want kids wandering the streets so this brings them to a safe space and can hopefully put them on the right path for their future.”
Donna Thornton, Youth and Community Leader and Fusion, added: “There’s kids around here that can’t afford to go into a gym or be part of a football team and we’re giving them that that for free.
“In time, you see how much this helps children grow. They come in on day one feeling nervous and you watch them become more sociable, more skilful and even more active – we all look forward to seeing that change.”
With the scheme set to continue for the foreseeable future, why not contact one of the providers to see how you can get involved.
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