Football is a force for positive change, and that feeling of positivity is something we’ve all needed at some point during the long days of lockdown.

Football clubs at all levels have had to react and adapt – and Omonia Youth Football Club did exactly that and more, focusing on how they as a club could help its young players and members to handle life after lockdown.

Pinpointing the importance of their mental wellbeing and safeguarding, as well as simply encouraging fun and positivity, the club put together a ‘recovery curriculum’ to encourage compassionate and kind coaching and ensuring the club supported its players. Online coaching sessions kept everyone engaged and active, along with fun quizzes and virtual get-togethers.

Omonia Youth FC also created an impressively empathetic Return From Lockdown document, filled with vital advice and guidance to support parents and help them ease their children back into life after lockdown.

As a club, Omonia Youth FC works hard to enhance the football experience for children beyond matchday, and they make the most of their social media presence to deliver positive messages at every opportunity. Their recent ‘An Audience With…’ online webinars featured interviews with football authors, women footballers, and an ex-Omonia Youth FC player who has since turned professional. These inspirational online events went down a storm.

On a wider level, the club has grown to become one big family driven by their ‘football for all’ ethos. From having no girls teams a few years ago, Omonia Youth FC now have four among their current total of 32 teams across the club, providing over 450 children in the local community with the opportunity to have fun and develop through football. The club also holds disability training sessions, and coaches its coaches to make these practices as inclusive as possible.

Omonia Youth FC are a dynamic and family-driven club that continues to grow and consistently challenges itself to develop and improve, and they are the winners of this year’s Grassroots Club of the Year Award.

Congratulations, Omonia Youth FC!