Football Beyond Borders (FBB)

What Football Beyond Borders (FBB) does

Football Beyond Borders (FBB) is a UK-registered charity (No. 1158046) founded in the wake of the 2011 London riots by Jack Reynolds and Jasper Kain and headquartered in London. The organisation delivers an education and social inclusion programme for young people aged 12–16 (Years 8–11) who are passionate about football but disengaged at school and at risk of exclusion. Core delivery combines weekly two-hour sessions split between classroom learning and football pitch activity, one-to-one therapeutic interventions grounded in Attachment Theory, Adolescent Neuroscience, Developmental Trauma, and Humanistic Therapy, and in-school pastoral support, delivered through commissioned partnerships with secondary schools across London, Essex, and the North West of England. The practitioner workforce is intentionally composed of staff with lived experience (75% male, 50% BAME, 100% under 35), and separate Boys' and Girls' programmes address gender-specific needs.

The product surface extends beyond direct beneficiary delivery to include the Therapeutic Wellbeing Practice (therapy plus advocacy), the Building Futures NEET-prevention programme with the Youth Futures Foundation, the BELONG Framework and Power Up Pastoral training programme for schools, and an FBB Virtual School launched during COVID-19. FBB also runs an In-Work Psychotherapy Development Programme, a Practitioner Training Programme (CPD-certified), and youth-led creative outputs such as the 'Unapologetically Us' zine and 'Beyond Bars' spoken word project.

FBB is funded through a mix of charitable grants (notably a £525,000 three-year grant from Impetus in 2020), corporate partnerships (Nike, EA Sports FC FUTURES, PayPal), individual donations, school commissioning fees, and government funding. The organisation has achieved measurable outcomes including 97% of participants finishing the academic year in school and participants being 10x more likely to pass English and maths GCSEs than peers excluded into alternative provision. In 2025 FBB launched the Lost Boys Taskforce and secured embedding of its Trusted Adult Guarantee in the UK National Youth Strategy alongside a £15m government investment in trusted-adult training.

Name

Football Beyond Borders (FBB)

Legal name

Football Beyond Borders

Website

https://footballbeyondborders.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Football Beyond Borders is a UK charity that uses football as an engagement tool to deliver therapeutic and educational support to disengaged young people aged 12–16 through commissioned school partnerships across London, Essex, and the North West of England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education and Social Inclusion Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Athlete Development & Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) (HSADAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Athletics Fundraising, Sponsorships & NIL Support (EDALAIAN)

Keywords

• Youth education support
• Social inclusion services
• Therapeutic mentoring
• School engagement programmes
• Football-based interventions

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grants: FBB receives significant grant funding from charitable foundations. A notable example is the £525,000 three-year grant from Impetus to support the FBB programme and rapid adaptation during COVID-19.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with major brands including Nike, EA Sports, PayPal, and others who provide funding, in-kind support, and co-branded campaigns. Nike partnership includes Play Forward initiative with Marcus Rashford.
3. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals via the website donate page. Campaigns like FBB2020 challenge raised funds through JustGiving with community fundraising activities.
4. School Commissioning: FBB programmes are delivered in partnership with schools who commission the service, working with young people at risk of exclusion.
5. Government Funding: Government support including £15 million investment announced for training trusted adults as part of the National Youth Strategy, which FBB helped influence through the Lost Boys Taskforce.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Football Beyond Borders (FBB) is an education and social inclusion charity that uses football as an engagement tool to support disengaged young people aged 12-16 (Years 8-11). It delivers school-based programmes combining weekly classroom sessions, football pitch activities, and one-to-one therapeutic interventions, complemented by specialist Boys' and Girls' Programmes and the BELONG Framework. The charity is funded by charitable grants, corporate partnerships, and individual donations.

Product overview

Football Beyond Borders (FBB) is an education and social inclusion charity offering a portfolio of integrated programmes for young people aged 12-16 passionate about football but disengaged at school. The core offering consists of the Schools Programme (combining weekly classroom and pitch sessions with therapeutic support), the Boys' Programme, Girls' Programme, and Therapeutic Practice. These are supported by specialised offerings including the Building Futures Programme (in partnership with Youth Futures Foundation), the Therapeutic Wellbeing Practice combining therapy and advocacy, and the Power Up Pastoral training programme. FBB also developed the BELONG Framework as an evidence-based tool for schools. During COVID-19, FBB launched the Virtual School for digital delivery. The programmes span London, Essex, and the North West, with a mission to help young people finish school with GCSE qualifications and skills for successful transition to adulthood.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Schools Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of young people finished the year in school
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and minor.

• Lost Boys TaskforcecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 July 2025Cross-sector coalition of leaders from football, education, youth work, policy, and business, chaired by Paul Barber OBE. The taskforce is united by ambition to make the UK a country where every young person has access to a trusted adult. FBB leads this initiative to drive policy change through the Trusted Adult Guarantee.
• Paul Barber OBEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 January 2025One of the most respected leaders in football, Paul Barber OBE joined FBB as Non-Executive Chair in January 2025. He chairs the Lost Boys Taskforce driving the Trusted Adult Guarantee policy initiative.
• Nike x Palace EnglandflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025FBB was named the official charity partner for the landmark Nike x Palace England collection, bringing together football, streetwear, and social impact. This collaboration spotlights FBB's mission to support young people at risk of school exclusion.
• Rodri (Manchester City)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2024FBB ambassador Rodri was crowned Ballon d'Or 2024 winner (best footballer in the world). Rodri's success as an FBB ambassador brings significant visibility to the charity.
• EA SportscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 March 2024EA Sports partnered with FBB under their FC FUTURES initiative in a new three-year partnership to empower young people through football. This includes campaigns like 'Beat the Bias' with COPA90 featuring FBB graduates.
• Marcus RashfordflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023FBB partnered with Marcus Rashford and Nike to launch 'Play Forward' - a programme supporting young people. Marcus Rashford has been a long-time supporter of FBB's work with disadvantaged youth.
• PayPalmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019PayPal donated £100,000 to FBB through the 'Gift of Football' campaign with Nike in 2019. In 2020, PayPal teamed up again with FBB, The Lionesses, and The FA for Christmas campaign highlighting people who go above and beyond. The 2020 campaign enabled FBB to run girls-only sessions in schools for the first time.
• Pro Bono EconomicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBB and Pro Bono Economics released a joint report highlighting the economic and wellbeing benefits of trusted adult relationships for young people at school, providing data-driven evidence for FBB's approach.
• Common GoalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBB and Common Goal brought together the football industry for a summit in London to discuss football's role in solving social problems. The result is 'The Football For Good Gameplan' - a strategic framework for the industry.
• The FAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe FA partnered with PayPal and FBB for Christmas campaigns featuring the Lionesses, highlighting the importance of role models who go above and beyond for young people.
• England LionessesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngland women's national football team players including Steph Houghton, Fran Kirby, Beth Mead, and Ellie Roebuck participated in PayPal Christmas campaign featuring FBB participant Petal Harty.
• Chris SmallingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional footballer and FBB patron Chris Smalling participated in FBB Virtual School spoken word showcase, with young people performing lockdown-themed pieces to him. Long-term supporter of FBB's work.
• Raheem SterlingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigh-profile footballer who has provided strong brand connections for FBB, helping attract young people to the programme through his endorsement and support.
• Ian WrightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer Arsenal striker and television presenter who has provided high-profile support for FBB, helping raise awareness of the charity's mission with disengaged youth.
• EduriominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPupil experience survey provider whose national data on trusted adult relationships complements FBB's internal research and helps inform policy recommendations.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Greenhouse Sports: London-based charity using sport (including football) to improve life outcomes for disadvantaged young people. Directly comparable in mission, sport-led engagement model, school-based delivery and youth-coaching practitioner approach.
• Street League: UK charity that uses sport to tackle youth unemployment and support NEET prevention among disadvantaged young people. Comparable sport-for-youth-development model and similar commissioner base; Matt Stevenson-Dodd (FBB's Chair of Trustees) was previously Street League CEO.
• Sported: UK charity supporting a network of community sport groups working with disadvantaged young people. Comparable community-sport-for-social-outcomes model and youth-development beneficiary focus.
• The Youth Sport Trust: National UK charity focused on improving young people's education, wellbeing and life chances through PE and sport. Comparable school-based delivery model and policy-influence activity in the youth-and-sport space.
• Access Sport: UK charity using community sport to empower disadvantaged young people. Comparable beneficiary cohort, sport-led engagement methodology and grant-funded operating model.
• Tottenham Hotspur Foundation: Premier League football club foundation delivering sport-based programmes for disengaged young people across London. Directly comparable football-led, school-anchored youth development model in overlapping geographies.
• Everton in the Community: Premier League football club's charitable arm delivering education, health and social-inclusion programmes for young people. Comparable football-as-engagement methodology targeting disengaged youth in northern England.
• Manchester City Foundation: Premier League football club foundation running sport-based education and inclusion programmes for young people in Manchester and the North West, FBB's core delivery region. Highly comparable football-led, school-anchored youth development model.

Broad incumbents

• The Prince's Trust: Much larger, established UK youth charity supporting disadvantaged 11-30 year-olds into education, training and employment. Operates at significantly greater scale and broader scope than FBB's specialist football-led programme.
• Catch22: Large UK social business delivering education, employment and youth-justice services, including alternatives to exclusion. Overlaps with FBB on disengaged-youth and alternative-provision missions but at much greater scale and scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fbeyondborders
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FBeyondBorders
• Facebookfacebook.com/footballbeyondborders
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/football-beyond-borders
• Instagraminstagram.com/footballbeyondborders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Football Beyond Borders (FBB)