Annual Report Futsoul 360 Reporting year: 12.10.2023-28.02.2025
Registered address:
51 Long Ashton Road Long Ashton Bristol BS41 9HW
Contact: community@futsoul.info
Futsoul 360 is a CIO created on 12 October 2023. It started work as a CIC in 2021 and transferred its work to the CIO over the reporting year of this report.
History
The founders of Futsoul 360 have considerable experience of futsal coaching with young people individually and in groups. They recognised its value for helping to build social and emotional skills which led to them to develop a programme that provided targeted coaching and mentoring for children who were struggling at school and lacked essential emotional and social skills. Their work was recognised by Avon and Somerset Police Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) as a tool for helping individual children and for community work assisting social cohesion. In 2021/2021, the VRU funded the Futsal Early Intervention Pilot Programme in a Bristol inner city primary school. Data and qualitative information gathered in the project ‘ demonstrated the benefits of the Early Intervention work and of particular importance is that it assisted the participants with continued engagement with mainstream education ’, Futsoul 360 Early Intervention Pilot Programme Report, Sept 2021.
The work of the CIC Futsoul 360 expanded its work to several schools aided by some early grants to assist those schools which were unable to pay the full cost. Advised that it would help with the development of the small organisation and with applications for grant funding, the decision was taken to become a CIO.
Objectives and activities
The objectives of the CIO are to help children and young people advance in life through the provision of opportunities for developing personal skills through a structured mentoring and sports programme which focuses on each child’s needs. It is also an objective to provide support and activities which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities so that they feel more able to participate in their community as a valued member.
Many of the children on the programme have come through very challenging circumstances and significant Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
The main activities are to provide the sports mentoring programme to individual children selected by the staff at a school for individual mentoring and sports coaching. The coaching takes place once a week for a period of several months up to a full school year. Usually this involves the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). In addition, the coaches can provide group community futsal coaching and games out of school hours.
The public benefits are to the individual children who are helped to develop their emotional and social skills which helps them settle in mainstream school and build better relationships. The children find value in their community and better confidence in their own abilities. In turn there are wider public benefits both in the classroom where children are less challenging, and in the community when children learn to play together and build relationships across perceived differences.
Achievements and Performance
The Futsoul 360 programme was provided in two schools during the reporting year with individual and group work. The number of schools offered the programme was restricted by funding challenges and by a lack of trained coaches, although this too is a result of shortage of funds to develop recruiting and training.
There were additional administrative issues with setting up the new CIO specific bank account so that coaches were paid with the residue of funds held by the CIC. These outgoings therefore do not figure in the accounts for the CIO for the reporting year.
The CIC team developed a monitoring ‘app’, which was passed to the CIO. The coaches use this to record in detail each session with a child. The data is anonymised but it is made available to teachers at the school who are given the individual identity codes so that they are able to relate the data to individual children to assess progress. The assessments are based on standard Strength and Difficulties Questionnaires, but they also record detailed qualitative information. Sadly, because of the disrupted lives of some of the children on the programme, sometimes the full work gets cut short as children are moved away from the area.
However, in the two schools where work took place, the positive impact on the children continued to be significant:
"It would not be an exaggeration to say that Futsoul's work with our students has been some of the most transformational mentoring programmes I have had the pleasure to oversee. Impactful on several levels, my pupils have grown in confidence within a nurturing mentoring relationship with their Futsoul coach. Skilful and sensitively structured interventions have challenged students to develop new collaborative skills, supported the development of emotional regulation, empathy and positive regard for peers. As a class teacher, I could see impact in individuals' self-esteem and friendships week to week. As a tool for supporting a constructive transition to secondary school, Futsoul's mentoring proved timely and on point. We remain grateful for their dedicated work at our school and wholeheartedly recommend their services." Recommendation from a member of staff from a school using the Futsoul 360 programme during the reporting year.
Examples of comments from children are:
“Futsal keeps me motivated. It energises me for the rest of the day so I can concentrate better and do my best in class.”
“It works my mind and helps me work harder in lessons. It helps me calm down”
Safeguarding
Safeguarding the children and the coach is a very high priority for the CIO in line with its Safeguarding Policy. The CIO coaches have Enhanced DBS checks and training. When
working in schools, they adhere to the Safeguarding policies of the school in which they work and use their reporting systems.
Financial Review
Income and expenditure were both very low for the reporting year as the transition from a CIC took effect. The charity has found the funding climate very challenging and irrespective of the high competition for grants, it was difficult to even make applications during the transition period. We are indebted to a local grant funding body, the Burden Trust who gave us a significant donation and to a local church who have been giving us a monthly contribution.
Futsoul 360 Financial Activity 12.10.23 - 28.02.25
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Income Spending
Donations and £4000.00 Overheads £384.00
legacies
Charitable £2954.00
activities
Other £500.00
Total £7454.00 £384.00
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Schools continued to value our work, but they too are under strong financial pressure especially with SEND budgets and this has made the true cost of a coaching programme hard for them to fund without subsidies.
The charity faces financial challenge and uncertainty. With the help of the two funders above, we have accumulated enough funds to start offering our work to one or two schools in 2026 and to undertake some development work on marketing and training. Futsoul 360 believes it has a very successful and innovative model for supporting struggling children in school and the number of struggling children is increasing. Our aim is to make our coaching and mentoring more widely available for public benefit.
Structure, Governance, Management and administrative details The CIO has a Foundation Governing document.
For the reporting period the Trustees were: John Barratt Valerie Groves Alvin Herbert Donna Thomas Jan Tyrrell
After five years of office, John Barratt and Donna Thomas resigned. Two more Trustees were recruited.
At the current date (19.12.2025) the Trustees are:
Valerie Groves Alvin Herbert Andrea Muxworthy Lucy Pearson Jan Tyrrell
Trustees are recommended by other trustees for their relevant skills and then elected by the Trustees.
The Trustees aim to meet every two months.
In summary, Futsoul 360 is a small charity with a unique and innovative programme of work that is hugely valued by schools, the children taking part and local services. However, the charity needs additional financial and administrative support to reach its potential and for the hard work put into establishing it to impact a greater number of children in need.
The report is signed on behalf of the Trustees by:
John Barratt (Trustee for the reporting period):
Date: 20.12.2025
Jan Tyrrell (Current Trustee) Date: 20.12.2025
Futsoul 360 51 Long Ashton Road Long Ashton Bristol BS41 9HW
Contact: community@futsoul.info