Stepping up to Serve with football
401. Jordan Dixon
A young Step Up to Serve #IWill ambassador who provides sports coaching to young people to help reduce the risk of gang involvement.
Jordan was congratulated on his award by the Prince of Wales yesterday as part of the Step up to Serve second anniversary events. To celebrate the work of #IWill and what it provides young people up and down the country all of this week’s Points of Light are Step up to Serve #IWill ambassadors.
Jordan, 19, currently runs a football team which offers free training to 30 young people every week who live on the estate in which he grew up. He wants to develop his team to a standard good enough to compete in a league. As well as coaching young people himself, Jordan has also set up a partnership with the neighbouring Hackney team to allow some of his players to train with them on a weekly basis.
To Jordan, football is not just a game and can be used to help promote the importance of education courses and motivate young people. He himself had a challenging childhood, involved in a gang and struggling to stay permanently in school while caring for his mother who was in and out of hospital. Jordan’s motivation to turn his life around led him to joining the Let Me Play organisation, which offers sport and volunteering opportunities. He became interested in sports coaching and was able to gain his FA Level One with the organisation. Since then Jordan has run coaching schools for three different primary schools and volunteered as a young leader at Edmonton Craig’s Park Unity Hub with Enfield Council.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
“By taking his own experience of being involved with gangs and using it to help other young people choose a different route, Jordan is changing lives in his local community. He saw the power of football in turning his own life around and it is fantastic that he has set up his own initiative to give others the same opportunity. I am delighted to recognise his work by naming him a Point of Light.”
Jordan said:
“My ambition is that one day I’ll set up my own football academy to give young people a chance to play football and gain qualifications at the same time.”