UK schools use football mentors to reach teenage boys

UK schools are using football and trusted mentors to support teenage boys whom educators and researchers say are struggling with school engagement, emotions and a lack of positive male role models.

The programme is run by Football Beyond Borders, a charity that works with young people from disadvantaged areas who like football but are disengaged at school. It is active in 60 schools across London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester, involving nearly 3,000 pupils.

At Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy in Wolverhampton, boys aged 12 to 14 attend weekly sessions on social and emotional development with educators Ezekiel Agyemang and Matt Bishop. The sessions include discussions about emotions, vulnerability and male development, followed by football with the mentors.

Football Beyond Borders says it aims to help pupils finish school with the skills and grades needed to move into adulthood. The charity launched a Lost Boys Taskforce in July 2025, describing a crisis among young boys and men without trusted adult role models.

The charity cites figures showing that the share of young men aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training has risen by 40 percent, compared with a seven percent increase for young women.

Jack Reynolds, a co-founder of Football Beyond Borders, said boys facing adolescence need trusted adults at a time when many are searching for role models and may encounter online influencers promoting extreme misogynistic views.

The charity also runs a similar programme for girls.