Thru Life has announced the appointment of its second ambassador Steve Morison, a former professional footballer who represented Wales and played as a striker for clubs in the EFL and Premier League.
Steve was born and grew up in Enfield, north London. He started his professional football career at Northampton Town Football Club in 2002 and steadily moved up the ranks of the English football leagues over the years. Between 2011 – 2013 he played in the Premier League for two seasons with Norwich City Football Club. During 2010 – 2013 he also represented Wales, playing alongside other notable footballers including Gareth Bale, Craig Bellamy, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen under manager Gary Speed.
In October 2019 after two decades in the professional game, he retired and immediately transitioned to a career in coaching. He started with Northampton Town Under-18s and eventually landed the job as first-team manager of Cardiff City Football Club until September 2022.
Steve joined the Thru Life team on 13 April at their Easter Sports Camp at Ferry Lane Cruyff Court to share some of his life experiences with young people and tips on how they can improve their game. Steve said:
“It was an honour to be asked to be a Thru Life ambassador. I grew up in north London and know the challenges that many of these young people face. Today was an opportunity to share how I overcame some of my personal challenges, and give some advice on how they can excel in football or anything else they want to achieve in Life”
The session was delivered in partnership with Haringey Council as part of the Department for Education’s holiday activities and food programme (HAF). Following successful pilots between 2018 and 2020, the programme was rolled out to all upper tier local authorities in 2021.
The programme is for children and young people aged 5 – 16 who are eligible for free school meals. A range of free activities are put on by local partners for children during the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays.
Thru Life’s 2023 Easter Sports Camp activities included football, basketball, healthy eating workshops, team-building challenges, quizzes and board games.
Ashley a young person who attended the Easter Sports Camp said:
“I like coming to Thru Life because we get to play in football competitions and I get to meet up with my friends”
Richard Allicock, co-founder of Thru Life said:
“This is the third year we have put on the HAF programme for young people in our community and we have seen the difference it has made for them and their families. It can be challenging for parents to find or afford engaging and well-structured activities for their children during the holidays. Our programme ensures that they can come and have fun in a safe environment and not get caught up in anti-social behaviour. We look forward to putting on more of these types of activities with the support of the Council and our network of partners.”
Read Steve’s story here: Steve Morison – Official Ambassador
For more information about the HAF programme visit here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/holiday-activities-and-food-programme/holiday-activities-and-food-programme-2021
