Story added: 26th August 2022

The story of Ryan Dakin's progression during his seven years with the foundation

Deciding what to do upon leaving school is often one of the most difficult and daunting prospects for any young person – for Ryan, it was much the same story.

After some deliberation, he took the path of the Foundation’s college programme, and he hasn’t looked back since.

A Gooner from Gorleston-on-Sea, Ryan has always been a fan of football and the football industry, with Norwich often falling in his periphery as a Norfolk boy.

Seven years on and Ryan remains with the Foundation, now working in the Onside programme, the Foundation’s ‘biggest little programme’.

As the name of the programme suggests, the aim is to keep the young participants ‘onside’; trying to break the cycle of crime and exclusions and to help steer them back into mainstream education before they reach their teenage years.

For an hour a week, each participant and their family spends time with Ryan at The Nest, and the one-to-one nature of the programme means the content of the session can be tailored to each family.

While it remains one of the smaller programmes within the Foundation, it is certainly one of the most impactful.

Though Ryan’s involvement in this programme exemplifies his maturity as a coach, he too experienced difficulties at the start of his journey.

Head of Curriculum Stevie Bramble stated, “Ryan struggled to settle initially, but thrived in an environment where staff showed care and support on an individual basis.

“It was during this time that he found a passion for coaching and alongside achieving a distinction grade, began to volunteer within Foundation coaching sessions.”

Despite this difficult start to life at the Foundation, Ryan’s four roles in seven years epitomises his openness to trying new things whilst simultaneously showing his progression as an individual and as a coach.

Ryan credits his progression to a number of staff members that have helped him closely along the way:

“Gav’s honesty has been invaluable during my journey with the Foundation.

“He always tells me things how they are, and his direct approach has pushed me in the right direction on countless occasions.

“Toby’s personality is also crucial to the team. His light-heartedness and sense of humour makes working even more enjoyable than it already is and has created an environment that everybody enjoys.”

Going forward, Ryan maintains the same aspirations – an eagerness to progress and expand his horizons within the Foundation as new opportunities present themselves.

Interested in joining our team? Keep an eye on our ‘Vacancies’ page for new openings.