Empowering Young People Through Sport, Mentorship, and Social Action
At Ravelin Sports Centre, we've always believed that sport is about so much more than what happens on the pitch. It's about building confidence, developing character, and creating communities. Shaping the leaders of tomorrow is an important part of what we do, and that commitment extends far beyond our walls.
Leadership Through Sport
Our sports clubs offer students far more than a chance to stay active. They're a genuine "starter pack" for life. Run almost entirely by volunteers, our clubs give students hands-on experience in roles that genuinely matter - from club presidents overseeing day-to-day operations and media secretaries managing communications, to welfare officers providing peer support and mentorship. Every role builds real, transferable skills.
We also offer academic placements in areas ranging from management and development to strength and conditioning, with students mentored by industry experts and given the opportunity to work alongside professional clubs. And through our Referee Hub, students can qualify as FA referees for free, in exchange for voluntary officiating hours. These are the kinds of experiences that don't just look great on a CV, but they shape the way young people think, lead, and give back.
The spirit of leadership, growth, and community impact is what drives us, and it's a spirit we're proud to see reflected in the wider work our staff are doing across Portsmouth.
Premier League Inspires
One example of that work in action recently came through the Premier League Inspires Programme, which is a national initiative that uses the power of football to engage young people in meaningful social action. Delivered locally by Pompey in the Community on behalf of the Premier League, the programme challenges young people to identify issues that matter to them and take real, practical steps to make a difference.
This year's theme is 'Inside Matters: Young People's Mental Wellbeing'. The Challenge asks teams of five young people to design and then deliver a social action project rooted in this theme, with one team selected to represent their club charity at a national event.
This year's programme involved seven groups of secondary school students from schools including St Edmunds, Porchester, and ARK Charter Academy, each working with Lovedeep Singh, a University of Portsmouth alumnus and Pompey in the Community's Premier League Inspires Coordinator and Lead Mentor, to develop and present their ideas.
The proposals were genuinely impressive. Students pitched everything from after-school girls' football sessions and mental health awareness pin badges to a wellbeing bench in school, a dedicated mental health website, and a video series featuring Portsmouth FC players talking openly about the pressures of professional football. Each idea was delivered with confidence, backed by research, and driven by a real desire to support their peers.
Find out more about the Premier League Inspires Challenge
UOP Sports' involvement
Zoe Monk, our Senior Sports Welfare and Safeguarding Officer at Ravelin Sports Centre, was invited to sit on the judging panel for the local heats, bringing her expertise in welfare and safeguarding to help assess and celebrate the young people's work.
Zoe's involvement is a great example of how our staff don't just support our own community, they extend that commitment outward, contributing their knowledge to initiatives that reach young people right across Portsmouth.
This project shows us the importance of supporting our young people's mental health by using connection and sport to raise awareness, give support and understanding to each other, and to ensure our young people know they aren't alone when they find themselves experiencing mental health difficulties. The energy, thoughtfulness and commitment each of the groups had put into their project idea was incredible. They showed confidence and clarity in their ideas, underpinned by statistics and education. It was an honour to listen to their presentations and hear the passion they each brought to supporting their peers.
Zoe Monk
Senior Sports Welfare and Safeguarding Officer
Carrington West
Alongside our internal development opportunities and community partnerships, we are proud to work closely with Carrington West, the front-of-shirt sponsor for UOP sports clubs. As a successful Portsmouth-based recruitment company, Carrington West plays an important role in helping us prepare students for life beyond university sport.
Through this partnership, Carrington West supports the delivery of specialist training and workshops designed to strengthen students’ professional skills and confidence. Later this month, we will be working together to deliver dedicated recruitment days for sports club leadership roles, helping us identify and develop the next wave of student leaders.
As part of this process, Carrington West will lead a psychometric testing session, giving students hands-on experience with assessment tools commonly used in the workplace. This not only supports our selection process but also provides valuable, real-world insight into modern recruitment practices.
By combining sport, leadership, and employability skills, this collaboration ensures our students are gaining experiences that truly prepare them for their future careers. We hope the opportunity will prove both insightful and empowering, helping to boost graduate confidence and employability long after their time at Ravelin Sports Centre.
To us, sport has always been a powerful starting point, but the real impact lies in the people it shapes along the way. Through leadership opportunities, community partnerships, and collaborations, we remain committed to giving our students the skills, confidence, and experiences they need to thrive long after they leave the University of Portsmouth.
