Football clubs partner with Government to help young people into work
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-23)

Thousands more young people are to receive life-changing support into work or training – with football clubs across the country signing up to help the Government in their mission to ensure every 18-to-21-year-old has the chance to earn or learn.

- Every Premier League Football Club Charity now in talks with DWP to support the Youth Guarantee – helping more young people get into work or training.
- Youth Hub scheme to double to over 200 locations, giving more young people access to employment, skills and wellbeing support at football clubs, libraries and community centres closer to home.
- EFL in the Community, the charitable arm of the English Football League (EFL), and Rugby Football League confirm new partnerships, harnessing the power of sport to champion young people and break down barriers to opportunities as part of the Plan for Change.
Thousands more young people are to receive life-changing support into work or training – with football clubs across the country signing up to help the Government in their mission to ensure every 18-to-21-year-old has the chance to earn or learn.

The Government’s highly successful Youth Hubs – which are hosted by sports clubs and other community venues in England, Scotland and Wales – will almost double in number thanks to £25 million investment announced today.

The funding was announced as it was revealed that every Premier League club charity in England is now discussing with Government how they can help get young people earning or learning, while the EFL in the Community and Rugby Football League have also been confirmed as new partners, supporting the same aim.

This means even more young people across the country are being helped by their local teams, as well as the Government’s other Youth Guarantee partners.

To mark the expansion of the programme and our partnership with the Premier League, Secretary of State Pat McFadden will visit Selhurst Park, home to the Palace for Life Youth Hub and Crystal Palace football club, where he will meet staff and young people benefitting from the service to see first-hand the impact it is having in the community.

Youth Hubs offer personalised, wraparound employment, skills and wellbeing support to young people in the areas of highest need. Thanks to this latest investment they will almost double to over 200 places across England, Scotland and Wales in the next three years.

The Hubs bring support, such as CV and wellbeing advice, directly to young people – taking place in settings right at the heart of the community like sports clubs, libraries and community centres.

With nearly one million young people not in education, employment or training, this expansion is helping to inspire a renewed sense of purpose and ambition in young people as well as breaking down barriers to opportunity as part of the Plan for Change.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden, said:

The number of young people not in education, employment or training is unacceptably high, and this Government will not stand by while so many are robbed of their potential and our country of its future.

Through our £25 million expansion of Youth Hubs and partnerships with the Premier League and other key organisations, we’re creating real opportunities for the next generation, ensuring support is targeted to those most in need.

This investment will support our mission to give every young person the skills and confidence they need to thrive, as we break down barriers to opportunity under our Plan for Change.

Run in partnership with Jobcentres, Youth Hubs bring Youth Work Coaches together with local partners including charities, councils and employers to provide everything from CV advice to skills training to careers guidance and wellbeing support. In future, they will also provide access to mental health services, housing and homelessness support.

Erin is one of many young people who have flourished thanks to the Government-funded support offered by her local Youth Hub.

Unemployed for two years and struggling with motivation, she visited the Palace for Life Youth Hub. After joining the hospitality programme where she gained valuable experience and confidence, she completed a work placement and was offered a permanent job, marking the start of an exciting new chapter.

The Secretary of State will host a roundtable at Selhurst Park with existing Youth Guarantee partners including the Premier League and Channel 4, as well as new partners such as the EFL in the Community and Rugby Football League.

Clare Sumner, chief policy and social impact officer at the Premier League said:

The Premier League is proud to support the expansion of Youth Hubs so young people, whatever their background, can access the opportunities, support and inspiration they deserve.

Between 2022 and 2025, the Premier League has invested £1.6 billion into wider football and communities, helping support people of all ages who need it most, and create more chances for young people to learn and grow. By working in partnership with Government on the Youth Guarantee, we can build on this foundation and ensure Youth Hubs offer even more opportunities to help young people thrive.

Together we are showing how football is more than a game, reaching those who need support most, helping them fulfil their potential and strengthening communities nationwide.

The announcement is the latest example of the Government’s work to tackle the rising number of young people not in education, employment, or training. In August, an additional £45 million was invested to extend funding for eight Youth Guarantee trailblazers across England whilst an extra £100 million will help to train up 40,000 young construction workers as the Government continues to break down barriers to opportunity under the Plan for Change.

It marks another step in the plan to Get Britain Working and raise living standards by modernising Jobcentres, boosting the National Living Wage, and creating more secure jobs through the Employment Rights Bill.

Additional information

Ayesha Baloch, Senior Policy Advisor at Impetus, said:

The renewed focus on Youth Hubs is a fantastic opportunity to engage more young people in employment by creating a welcoming space where they truly want to be. Through a culture of hospitality, Youth Hubs have the potential to engage hundreds of thousands of young people currently locked out of the labour market and missing out on key employment support. A vital part of the Youth Guarantee, Hubs are a crucial outlet for ensuring all young people get the support they need to join the labour market and thrive in work.

Sam Avanzo Windett, Deputy Director at Learning and Work Institute (L&W), said:

With nearly a million young people not currently earning or learning, further investment in the Government’s Youth Hubs network is welcome. In England, we know that fewer than one in four young people not in education, employment or training are getting help to move into work and around half are not claiming benefits and risk missing out on support altogether. Youth Hubs co-locate services, making it easier for young people to access support and help overcome the associated stigma that deters many young people from engaging with Jobcentre Plus. Engaging and offering more young people help to find a job or improve their skills is essential for our future workforce and to help reach the Government’s aim for an 80 per cent employment rate.

Barry Fletcher, CEO at Youth Futures Foundation said:

Youth Hubs have made a promising start at providing place-based solutions to help young people into work – meeting young people where they are with targeted support, welcoming spaces, and trusted relationships.

Expanding them and linking with Youth Guarantee trailblazer areas is an important part of the system response needed to reduce the large number of young people not in education, employment or training, and build a more prosperous future.

Neil Carberry, Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) Chief Executive, and an RFU-qualified rugby referee and coach, said:

This is the kind of creative thinking needed to encourage more young people into the workforce. It also keeps the ball rolling toward the goal of ensuring local organisations, employers, and recruiters target support effectively at economically inactive people in their communities. As recruiters, we know that all it takes is a small steer, suggestion, or personally delivered coaching to help a young person land a job.

Becci Newton, Director, Public Policy Research, Institute for Employment Studies, said:

The Government’s announcement of substantial new investment in youth hubs across Great Britain is great news for young people, particularly those struggling with unemployment or inactivity. Hubs bring together a range of services to support young people to find work or training. Plus, hubs co-locate services so there can be easy access to support on physical and mental health, housing, transport and other possible issues.

Our evaluation (https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/system/files/resources/files/youth-offer-report-1073.pdf) with young people showed high degrees of satisfaction with youth hubs. Young people appreciated the personalised support available and the welcoming environment which helped to secure their engagement.

Patrick Milnes, Head of Policy, People and Work at the British Chambers of Commerce:

Getting more young people into employment, education or training is a top priority for business.

Firms know that the longer we leave this young pool of talent to drift away from the workplace the harder it becomes for them to engage.

Collaboration with sports organisations can be a match winner. We really welcome this new initiative as a powerful springboard to accelerate Government schemes we know are already making a difference.

Elizabeth Taylor, ERSA’s Chief Executive said:

ERSA strongly welcomes the expansion of Youth Hubs, we have long campaigned for this model of co-location with work coaches, employment support providers and community-based organisations, as we know it is an effective way of harnessing engagement and better outcomes for individuals.

A report published last week (17 September) by ERSA, supported by EFL in the Community, found that Football Club charities are trusted and visible organisations, rooted in some of the most deprived communities in England and Wales, who can effectively engage with disadvantaged groups who may not otherwise access mainstream provision.

Marc Lovering, RFL Director of Development

The RFL are huge supporters of the Youth Hubs initiative. The sport makes a positive impact on thousands of young people across the north of England, especially through our charitable Foundations and Community Wellbeing Hubs – and we look forward to building on our work alongside the DWP, other agencies and sports under this exciting new investment.
- The expansion of Youth Hubs will include a standardised service model to ensure consistent, high-quality support across all Youth Hubs, marking a significant step forward in delivering more accessible, joined-up employment support and connecting young people to a wider range of services such as health, housing, and wellbeing support.
- The latest ONS young people not in education, employment or training statistics were published on Thursday 21 August at 9.30 here: Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK - Office for National Statistics (https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment/bulletins/youngpeoplenotineducationemploymentortrainingneet/august2025)