This month, CITC sat down with Alex, who started off as a participant on the ‘One City’ programme for nearly seven years, attending the secondary SEN league representing Pioneer House mixed and girls teams, then attending our junior DSC then moving to adult DSC.
She then went on to volunteer at the charity, and has now gone on to become a successful member of staff.
In this interview, Alex talks about her journey so far with CITC, and how this has positively affected her life.
Tell us a little bit about your journey to today?
My journey started just before I joined 93:20. I was a participant at One City, playing football and had just started college, where I did three courses over the space of three years (NVQ L2 Activity Leadership course, BTEC L1 Diploma in sports, NCFE L2 Diploma in sports).
College was where I started to build my confidence. It’s also where I started a movement to get a girl’s football team and netball team going, which both turned out really well.
I also got a qualification in refereeing and started refereeing Sunday League games and Walking Football tournaments.
What made you want to join CITC as a volunteer?
I wanted to be a volunteer with CITC on the 93:20 course because I’ve always been interested in football. CITC invited my school to take part in a football tournament against other schools and after that, I wanted to get more involved with CITC.
I was interested in finding out more about what they do and what impact I could have if I joined. It has been the best journey I could ask for and the 93:20 programme opened up so many opportunities.
How did you find out about City Careers?
I found out about City Careers just before I started as a casual time worker with CITC. One of the coaches approached me at the disability session and asked me if I would like to join the course.
What was your time on the City Careers course like?
City Careers was very useful and a great experience. Throughout the summer, I worked on the Kellogg’s Football Camps and learnt a lot of key aspects to consider when you are going into a coaching role.
It was also good to make more connections with the people who work on the programmes at CITC, so I got a better understanding about what CITC provides.
It’s a fun, engaging and safe space that helped me earn a qualification that will look good on my CV.
What do you enjoy most about your time with CITC?
The thing I enjoy most about being a part of CITC is the engagement you see of the participants. It makes you proud to be a coach, because you see your time and your energy motivate participants to create the same energy.
It’s amazing to see what CITC do for the community and the lives they are changing and that’s why I want to be a part of CITC.
How has CITC changed your life?
CITC has definitely changed my life in so many ways. It has opened up so many opportunities that I didn’t think were possible, and I’ve met so many incredible people while being here.
I have delivered on Soccer School sessions across the summer and have recently secured a part -time role where I will be supporting on City Kicks sessions across Greater Manchester.
What are your aspirations for the future?
My aspiration for the future is to keep working hard and hopefully that will allow me to continue to develop, which will create more opportunities.
CITC has impacted my life by providing me motivation to be a better coach and learn from my mistakes and always want to keep progressing on to the next big thing. I want to know more about CITC and what I can do to make a change to other people’s lives.
With thanks to Blue Emergency Cover for their support of the We Are CITC series.
Protect your home and support City in the Community—sign up for Blue Emergency Cover using code CITC20 to contribute to the campaign while enjoying reliable insurance.
To find out more, visit: https://blueemergencycover.co.uk/
City in the Community empowers healthier lives with city youth through football.
To find out more, visit www.mancity.com/citc or follow @citcmancity.
