The Moore Family Foundation charity was established in 2014 by Roberta Moore, daughter of late West Ham United legend, Bobby Moore, in her father’s memory.
The charity partnered with the West Ham United Foundation to deliver an educational, mentoring and pupil engagement provision to thousands of local youngsters over the last five years and into the future.
The Moore Family Foundation programme was devised to engage with vulnerable young people in east London and Essex, with the aim of instilling and inspiring them with the six central values displayed by the 1966 FIFA World Cup-winning captain – courtesy, generosity, hard work, humbleness, respect for others and self-discipline.
My family are incredibly excited about the creation of this project, which we hope will make a real difference to lives of young people in the area of the country Bobby loved more than any other
Roberta Moore
“My mother, Tina and her three grandchildren, Freddie, Poppy and Ava, are incredibly excited about the creation of this project, which we hope will make a real difference to lives of young people in the area of the country Bobby loved more than any other,” said Roberta, at the time of the Moore Family Foundation’s launch.
During the five years since then, the programme has boasted some incredible achievements, including working and engaging positively with 75 local schools and over 15,000 primary and secondary schoolchildren across east London and Essex.
Through a key partnership with London East Alternative Provision (LEAP), Foundation learning mentors and LEAP staff have worked together with a focus on reducing the instances of young people at risk of becoming ‘Not in Education, Employment or Training’ (NEET).
The partnership provides those participants with clear education and employment pathways through the West Ham United Foundation or other partner organisations.
As a key focus the students complete a Sports Leaders Level 1 Award, where they develop their organisational, communication and confidence skills whilst gaining a qualification. This is also supported by life-changing experiences, including inspirational visits to watch training at Rush Green and matches at London Stadium.
Afrooz Hannan, Assistant Headteacher of LEAP, has been hugely enthused by the impact of the programme.
“In its first year, The Moore Family Foundation Programme managed to engage our most disaffected and challenging students,” he observed. “This resulted in a shift in their mindset to developing more aspirational goals.
“We were very proud that a student in our first-year cohort was accepted on to the Foundation’s Learning Academy Programme You are not just changing lives; you are saving lives”
In 2019, the programme has already seen a significant impact on one of the students, 16-year-old Ronny Scates, who came into the programme lacking self-confidence and social skills after struggling with poor attendance at school as a result of social anxiety and depression.
Since engaging with the Moore Family Foundation programme, Ronny has made a complete turnaround in his approach to his education to employability moving forward, as well as having ambitions for his life after the programme. He has completed his Sports Leaders Level 1 Award and is now developing his performance analysis skills through assisting senior coaches at the Foundation’s Learning Academy.
The Foundation’s Employability Officer Ade Omideyi has been working closely with Ronny during his time on the Moore Family Foundation programme and has been amazed by his progress.
“Ronny’s attitude towards his work, his punctuality and attendance are all now maintained at a high level, and he has now also developed a new passion for photography which he hopes to take into the sporting industry,” Omideyi explained.
“Given the fact that Ronny is a product of the Alternative Provision system, there is great confidence that he will be progressing onto further education once he completes the MFF Programme, and clearly has a very bright future in whatever he pursues.”