Bringing young people together for our first GM Care Leaver Football Tournament

“I was really nervous at the start of the day as I didn’t really know anyone, but I had the best day, and we made it to the final!” – GMYN Young Person

On Thursday 20th of November, GMYN worked in partnership with GMI Construction, Bolton Wanderers in the Community, Bolton College and local authorities across Greater Manchester to host our first GM care leavers football tournament.

The tournament was made up of six teams of care experienced and separated young people aged 16-25. The teams came from across Greater Manchester including Bolton, Trafford, Oldham, Salford, Stockport and Manchester. The teams played each other once in the group stage, with four teams making it to the semi-finals. Bolton A played Trafford in the final, with Trafford emerging victorious.

Some young people had never taken part in a football tournament before, and it was great to see how much the teams came together. GMYN staff and volunteers even joined in to help form a team so that extra young people could play. All the young people showed great courage in supporting other young people, especially when there was an injury or when other teams got knocked out.

GMYN prides itself on giving young people a sense of belonging in their local communities and this was felt by all. Not only was it an opportunity to reconnect with other young people they already knew, but they were also able to meet young people from other boroughs and make new friends. Everyone agreed it was an event that should happen more regularly.

Thank you to our partner organisations who helped make it happen. Here’s what they had to say:

“What an amazing day and I can’t thank GMYN and Bolton Wanderers enough for everything. To bring this to life has been something we have wanted to achieve for a long time so thank you.” – GMI Construction

“The day was brilliant and we’d be absolutely delighted to do it again.” – Bolton Wanderers in the Community

“The Care Leavers Football Tournament was a powerful reminder that sport can break down barriers and foster unity. Thanks to GMYN’s dedication, young people in care were given the opportunity to shine, connect, and grow. While we didn’t take home the trophy, the real victory was the sense of community and wellbeing built on the pitch.” – Bolton College

Find out more about GMYN’s care experience programmes and our services across Greater Manchester here.