Bloomsbury Football Foundation

What Bloomsbury Football Foundation does

Bloomsbury Football Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 1178842), founded in 2018 by Charlie Hyman and headquartered at LABS Atrium, Chalk Farm Road, London. Its stated mission is to provide young people in London with safe, affordable access to football, removing financial, social and cultural barriers to participation. The organisation delivers a comprehensive portfolio of programmes spanning ages 18 months to adulthood, including Training Sessions (ages 6–18), Bears early-years football (ages 3–6), Football Academy (U7–U18), Senior Football Teams, Holiday Camps, LALIGA-affiliated semi-competitive leagues, and the Sixth Form Scholars programme in partnership with Haverstock School. Specialist provision covers Pan-Disability Football, Blind and Partially Sighted Football (hosting FA Para Pathway England Talent Hubs), and free sessions for refugees and asylum seekers aged 7–25. Operations extend across nine London boroughs at more than 50 session locations.

The charity operates a direct-to-consumer self-serve model via bloomsburyfootball.com with monthly subscriptions (£65/month for Training Sessions, Bears and LALIGA; £170/month starting for Football Academy) and unit-priced Holiday Camps (£50/child/day). Sessions are distributed through school partnerships, council and social-worker referrals, and brand ambassador channels (Gabby Logan, Molly Bartrip). Significant financial support — 25–100% discounts on price — is offered to players from low-income households, with approximately 75% of participants receiving some level of subsidy; refugee and asylum-seeker sessions are fully free. The revenue model is therefore a hybrid of participant subscriptions and a substantial donation and grant base, with named supporters including Mastercard, Adobe, Nike, LALIGA, Garfield Weston Foundation, The Childhood Trust, Sport England, Department for Education, FIFA Foundation, and UEFA.

Bloomsbury reports strong outcome metrics: 86% of young people are active every day, 96% of parents report increased confidence in their child, 95% report cross-background friendships, and 90% report resilience gains through football. The Futsal Academy and Senior Futsal Teams are being discontinued after the 2026/27 season with players transitioned to Braintree Futsal Club and Rise Futsal. Strategic ambitions include reaching 20,000 young people per week and achieving 50:50 gender balance across programmes by 2028.

Name

Bloomsbury Football Foundation

Legal name

Bloomsbury Football Foundation

Website

https://bloomsburyfootball.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Bloomsbury Football Foundation is a London-based registered charity delivering affordable weekly football programmes across nine boroughs to over 6,500 young people aged 18 months to 18, with 75% of participants receiving financial support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sports and Community Football Programmes

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues) (MPAKACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF), Athletics Fundraising, Sponsorships & NIL Support (EDALAIAN), Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

Keywords

• Youth football programmes
• Grassroots sports coaching
• Community football charity
• Disability football sessions
• Football academy training

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Programme Subscriptions: Monthly subscription payments from families for Training Sessions (£65/month), Bears (£65/month), Football Academy (£170/month starting), Holiday Camps (£50/day), and LALIGA leagues (£65/month). Revenue is recurring from participant families.
2. Charitable Donations & Grants: Funding from corporate supporters (Mastercard, Adobe, Nike, LALIGA), trusts and foundations (Garfield Weston Foundation, Childhood Trust, Sport England), statutory bodies (Department for Education), and individual donors. Charity relies on supporter generosity to transform young lives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bloomsbury Football Foundation delivers affordable youth football programmes across nine London boroughs, including weekly Training Sessions, an early years Bears programme, a Football Academy development pathway, Holiday Camps, senior teams, and specialist provision for blind/partially sighted, pan-disability, and refugee/asylum seeker players. The charity also delivers school-based PE and after-school football, and provides financial support of 25-100% discounts to approximately 75% of participants from low-income households.

Product overview

Bloomsbury Football Foundation operates as a charity providing a comprehensive portfolio of football and futsal programmes across London, serving young people from 18 months to adulthood. The core offerings include Training Sessions (grassroots football for ages 6-18), Bears (early years programme for ages 3-6), and specialist programmes for Blind/Partially Sighted players and Pan-Disability players. The Football Academy provides a development pathway for skilled players seeking progression toward professional clubs, while Senior Football Teams offer continued competitive play into adulthood. Seasonal Holiday Camps provide school-holiday football activities, and the LALIGA Competition offers semi-competitive league play with real Spanish club affiliations. The Sixth Form Scholars programme uniquely combines academic education with football training at Haverstock School. Financial Support is embedded across all programmes, offering 25-100% discounts for low-income households. The Futsal Academy and Senior Futsal Teams are being discontinued after the 2026/27 season, with players transitioning to partner clubs. The organisation also delivers sessions in schools and provides free sessions for refugees and asylum seekers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bloomsbury Bears: Early years football programme for children aged 3-6, focusing on coordination, teamwork, and a joy for movement and physical activity.
• Bloomsbury Football Academy
• Bloomsbury x LALIGA
• Adobe Kick & Create Girls' Camps
• Bloomsbury Futsal Academy
• Bloomsbury Refugee & Asylum Seeker Football

Products and services

• Training Sessions Organised football training sessions for ages 6-18, led by qualified coaches at 50+ locations across nine London boroughs, focusing on football fundamentals, skills development, and life skills.
• Bears (Ages 3-6) Early years football programme for children aged 18 months to 6 years, offering a fun and safe introduction to sport with specialist early years coaches focusing on coordination, teamwork, and confidence building.
• Football Academy Development pathway for skilled players (boys and girls U7-U18) with weekly training and competitive grassroots fixtures, led by elite coaching team. Requires trial for entry, with progression to professional clubs including Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Watford, and West Ham.
• Senior Football Teams Adult men's and women's grassroots football teams for graduates of the Football Academy, offering regular training, weekly competitive matches, and expert performance analysis.
• Holiday Camps All-day football camps for all abilities, ages 7-16, running during school holidays at multiple venues across London from 10am to 3pm.
• LALIGA Competition Weekly semi-competitive grassroots league in partnership with LALIGA where players represent real Spanish clubs and receive free replica kits, for boys and girls ages 10-15.
• Blind & Partially Sighted Football Specialised sessions for vision-impaired players ages 7-21, providing adapted formats of football with specialist coaches and equipment, including England Talent Hubs for players on the FA Para Pathway.
• Pan-Disability Football Specialist sessions for players ages 5-25 with a broad range of disabilities and health conditions, using a player-centred approach in an adapted, inclusive format of the game.
• Refugee & Asylum Seeker Football Free weekly football sessions for displaced young people aged 7-25, delivered in a culturally sensitive environment with trauma-informed coaching approach, focusing on community building and language skills.
• Sixth Form Scholars College programme at Haverstock School combining academic qualifications (A Levels or BTECs) with football training, coaching, refereeing, and analysis qualifications for students entering Year 12.
• Schools Programme School-based football provision including PE lessons, breakfast clubs, and after-school activities, delivered by UEFA qualified coaches trained in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), with minimum 4 hours weekly coaching time.
• Adobe Kick & Create Girls' Camps Holiday camps for girls ages 7-16 combining football training with Adobe Express creative workshops, led by expert designer Elly Wade, running on Tuesdays during school holidays at Acland Burghley School.
• Bloomsbury X Para Football England Trial Monthly trial sessions for young people ages U8-U21 hosting England Talent Hubs, the first phase of the England Para Pathway, held at City of London Academy Islington.
• Financial Support Charitable financial assistance programme offering 25-100% discounts on all football programmes for players from low-income households, with approximately 75% of participants receiving support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 86% of young people are active every day
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• LALIGAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership since 2022 to deliver weekly semi-competitive grassroots leagues. Players represent real Spanish clubs and receive free replica kits. Partnership represents 16 Spanish teams across two venues. Also includes Girls' Schools Tournament delivering over 120 players from schools across London.
• AdobecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Adobe Kick & Create Girls' Holiday Camps combining football with Adobe Express creative workshops. Expert designer Elly Wade leads creative sessions. Free places available for children receiving free school meals.
• Para Football EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBloomsbury hosts England Talent Hubs, the first phase of the England Para Pathway. Monthly sessions for players aged 7-21 selected for the FA Para Talent Hub Programme.
• Haverstock SchoolcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner school for Sixth Form Scholars programme where students study for qualifications while playing football. Programme combines academic tuition with 8 hours of football weekly.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Youth Sport Trust: National UK charity using sport to improve young people's wellbeing and education outcomes. Broader remit than Bloomsbury across multiple sports but comparable funding model (trusts, Sport England, corporate partners) and outcome measurement approach.
• Manchester City Foundation: Etihad-owned football community foundation delivering sport and education programmes for young people. Comparable sport-for-good model, multi-programme delivery, and corporate partnerships, but operates under the City Football Group umbrella rather than as an independent charity.
• Arsenal in the Community: Arsenal FC's community programmes delivering football, education, and inclusion work primarily across North London. Comparable core activity (youth football, disability football, schools), but operates as a Premier League club foundation with stadium resources Bloomsbury does not have.
• Chelsea Foundation: Chelsea FC's charitable foundation running football, education, and inclusion programmes across London. Comparable cohort, comparable London geography, and overlapping social mission; differentiated by scale and being part of a Premier League operator.
• Tottenham Hotspur Foundation: Premier League club's charitable arm delivering football and education programmes in North London. Comparable to Bloomsbury on sport-for-good delivery, schools partnerships, disability football, and focus on underserved boroughs, but is part of a much larger football organisation.

Direct peers

• Access Sport: UK charity focused on opening access to sport for disadvantaged young people, including disability and inclusion work. Comparable to Bloomsbury on charity-funded sport delivery, inclusion/adaptive formats, volunteer and coach networks, and measurable social-impact reporting.
• Street League: UK charity using sport (including football) to move disadvantaged young people into education and employment. Closely comparable operating model: charity-funded sport delivery targeting underserved youth with measurable outcomes, subscription/grant hybrid revenue, multi-region footprint.
• Greenhouse Sports: London-based sport-for-good charity delivering coaching in schools and community settings to young people facing disadvantage. Comparable on: London-centric delivery, qualified-coach model, schools partnerships, financial support / free access, and measurement of social outcomes.

Others

• Decathlon UK: Mass-market sporting goods retailer running inclusive community sport initiatives in the UK. Adjacent rather than direct peer: shares inclusion and accessibility values and partners in the same sector, but operates a retail rather than charity model.
• London Sport: London-wide umbrella body for grassroots sport, commissioned by Sport England. Not a direct operator but the supporting infrastructure that funds and connects grassroots charities like Bloomsbury through borough-level partnerships and grant programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/bloomsburyfootball
• Facebookfacebook.com/bloomsburyfootball
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bloomsbury-football-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Bloomsbury Football Foundation