Football

Football is a sport that is fun for people of any age. It's enjoyable, competitive and a great way to take your mind of things. 

Get involved: Find local football clubs and get involved! 

It can be hard getting started doing sport, things that can help include going with a friend, looking out for trial sessions, and making sure you have the right equipment before you start.

Benefits of playing football

There are many benefits of playing football, such as: 

• Boosting self-confidence and self-esteem
• Releasing endorphins which can improve your mood
• Supporting your mental and physical wellbeing

There are lots of ways that young people can play football, like by joining a local club or playing with friends in a local park. 

But what if:

• I’m not good enough! You never start off good at something, I know this because when I started to play football I wasn’t very good but I was able to improve and gain confidence really quickly because I had friends who helped me improve.
• I don’t know where to find a football team! Most areas in Oxford will have a local football team you just have to go out and ask people, these could be your friends or workers at local leisure centres.

Even if you don’t think you're good at football, you can still enjoy it and maybe even get good enough to the point where you want to play for a team.

Experience: In my experience with football, I am a goalkeeper for a team called Kidlington Youth Hawks, which consist of me and 16 other players and 3 managers. I started playing football at the age of 14, I wasn’t very good at the start but I improved and got better really quickly. It’s fun playing with Kidlington because I joined a new environment and made friends with a few of them quickly. Even though we didn’t win every game it was a fun experience and its made me a better player. 

This page was written by Levi - Work Experience Student.