Story added: 29th October 2025

Flown the Nest: Owen's story

Recently, we’ve been shining a spotlight on some of our Foundation success stories, celebrating the individual achievements and personal progression of both participants and staff members involved with our charity work. Whether it’s a milestone ticked off, or a pathway graduated, we think it’s important to recognise our community and the hard work and commitment applied.

Owen Woodhouse had always aspired to work in football and sport, but was unsure how to take those first steps into the industry. However, after attending one of the Foundation’s post-16 showcase events, he didn’t look back!

Owen completed our Football & Education college programme and is now the Foundation’s Premier League Inspires Officer, a role he absolutely loves.

Last month, we caught up with Owen, to find out how the course helped him take those big steps towards a job in sport.

Take us back to the start – how did you first become aware of the Foundation and what was your first interaction with us?

OW: I think the first time I had any sort of interaction with the Foundation was as a kid, when I had a birthday party at Carrow Park, aged probably 7 or 8. Back then, the charity was called ‘Football in the Community’ and was predominantly a small group of football coaches delivering free sport to young people across Norfolk. I don’t remember all too much about the party itself, but I definitely had fun!

The coaches also used to come into my primary school and help with the delivery of PE lessons, so yeah, I guess I had some sort of understanding of the charity from quite a young age.

Great – so that’s when you first became aware of the Foundation, but when did you first become actively involved with our work? What programme did you start out in?

OW: First programme I was actively involved in would probably be the Football & Education programme that the Foundation offers out to college-age students. I knew a bit about it and the Player Development Centre programme a bit earlier on, but never really got involved. But when I heard about the college programme, I was right up for it.

Touch a little bit more on your personal football journey. Did you play before finding out like the Foundation? And who do you play for now?

OW: I played for Mulbarton as a kid all the way through until I was about 15 or 16. I played a bit for the county team around then as well and that’s where the step up in quality really did become noticeable.

As a kid, I also played in tournaments organised by the Foundation, where you’d have coaches and other staff keeping an eye on you to see if you were good enough to be put into one of the development teams.

The link the Foundation has with grassroots football has continued into my adult playing career as well though. I currently play for Long Stratton, and there’s lots of Foundation staff involved with both the team, and with other nearby local non-league sides like Leiston and Wroxham.

Tell us more about your current role at the Foundation – how are you finding it and how long have you been in that particular role? Also touch on your pathway to that role, if you can.

OW: I initially started as a community coach, which saw me work part -time out on the pitches, about 30 hours a week, delivering basic football coaching to players of all different ages and abilities.

I stuck with this for a while, working my way to a promotion as a casual coach which saw me take more responsibility in the sessions I was delivering.

Since then, I’ve had a couple of different roles. I was initially part of the Disability team here at the Foundation, before making the switch over to the Inclusion team, where I’m now the Premier League Inspires Officer, a role that sees me visit local high schools and work with young people who are finding education difficult.

As for how I feel about my job – I absolutely love it. I’ve been at the Foundation for four-ish years now and can’t wait to see what the future holds. Three days a week I’m at our Tackle Learning provision here at Carrow Park, and the other two I visit schools and help with some of the children there. It’s quite full on sometimes but I wouldn’t change it for anything!

Looking back to when you first arrived at the Foundation to where you are now, how does that progression journey feel?

OW: It’s almost like a full-circle moment really, as I’ve gone from being a kid involved with the programmes myself, to where I am now, being the one helping to deliver and engage with young people.

For example, some of the team that coached and supported me as child are now my work colleagues, which feels a bit surreal, to be honest!

Ultimately though, the best thing for me is the people that work here. We’re such a tight-knit group, and everyone has something different to offer, meaning we are constantly looking to grow and improve, day by day.

As for the future, I think I just want to keep growing and improving, and the Foundation is the perfect place to do that. I’m always being given new responsibilities and opportunities and I’m excited to see what the coming months and years hold.

And finally – if you were going to give advice to young people facing important career choices or big decisions, what would you say to them?

OW: I honestly think that if you’re at that ‘crossroads’ stage of your life, the main message I would give would be ‘trust your heart’. Sometimes overthinking stuff and looking too far ahead isn’t the best option and can lead you into making choices that may not be the right fit for you.

I would also say that if you’re interested in sport, your community and are a team player then the Foundation and the Football & Education programme could be the place for you. You become part of a real team unit, and you’ll develop a whole host of important life skills that lots of employers look for, like teamwork, confidence and creativity.

To find out more about our Football & Education programme, click here.