Skip to main content
Department of Justice Department of Justice An Roinn Dlí agus Cirt Männystrie O tha Laa

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Topics
  • Publications
  • Consultations
  • Contact

Translation help

Translate this page

Select a language

  • Arabic — عربي
  • Chinese (Simplified) — 中文简体
  • Chinese (Traditional) — 中文繁體
  • Dutch — Nederlands
  • Filipino — Filipino
  • French — Français
  • German — Deutsch
  • Hungarian — Magyar
  • Irish — Gaeilge
  • Italian — Italiano
  • Latvian — Latviešu
  • Lithuanian — Lietuvių kalba
  • Polish — Polski
  • Portuguese — Português
  • Romanian — Română
  • Russian — Русский
  • Slovak — Slovenčina
  • Spanish — Español
  • Ukrainian — Українська
  • Justice Partners and IFA team up with Premier League Champions to tackle crime and offending

    Topics:
    • Youth Justice, 
    • Services delivered within a community setting, 
    • Youth Justice Agency

    Date published: 14 June 2016

    The Youth Justice Agency and the Irish Football Association (IFA) are to work with Premier League champions Leicester City on their Police and Community Champions programme to help young people move away from crime and anti-social behaviour.

    ROP and IFA

    Through (ROP), the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI), the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) and the Youth Justice Agency work together to tackle priority offenders who commit crime such as burglaries, robberies or thefts and who impact most upon the community. Collectively, representatives from ROP and the IFA have been studying Leicester City's Community Champions programme and how it links Police and statutory partners to the world of football and provides pathways out of crime for offenders or those at risk of offending.

    Detective Inspector Mark Dennison, Police Service of Northern Ireland explains: ''Since the start of 2016 we have been working with the IFA on developing a bespoke programme for young people under the Prevent and Deter strand of ROP and also for selected adults who have entered the Rehabilitate and Resettlement strand. At a workshop in March a structure was agreed for a 12 week programme. Work is commencing with ROP partners to ensure that this is delivered in the Autumn.”

    Mary Aughey, Director of Youth Justice Services’ at the Youth Justice Agency says: “Leicester City's Police and Community Champions programme was identified as a model of good practice and we are delighted to announce that the Premier League Champions have agreed to become a new and dynamic partner. The IFA and Leicester City will work together through a formal arrangement to help those participating in the programme to move away from crime and anti-social behaviour.”

    Paul Doran, Probation Board for Northern Ireland adds: “The recently published Committee for Justice Report on Justice in the 21st Century: Innovative Approaches for the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland” outlined the merit in exploring the introduction of Problem Solving Justice in Northern Ireland. It suggested this was an innovative and effective approach to the Criminal Justice System, particularly against a backdrop of increased budgetary pressures in the Public Sector. This partnership, which considers the needs of the individual, is the type of preventative activity that collectively we need to be focusing on to deliver meaningful outcomes.”

    IFA Director of Football Development, Michael Boyd says: “Our new youth strategy, ‘Let Them Play’ has paved the way for exciting new developments and we have set ourselves ambitious targets to build new partnerships within our Football Social Responsibility team to deliver programmes and share good practice. This link up working with ROP and young people at risk is something we are excited about as we seek to deliver Football for All.”

    The IFA will initially be delivering a six week programme in Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre, with the content of the 12 week programme being finalised over the summer.

    Latest news

    • Recruitment - Custody Officer

      16 June 2025

    • Long commends King’s Birthday Honours recipients

      13 June 2025

    • Children exploited in criminality in Northern Ireland not recognised as victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, landmark research finds

      11 June 2025

    • Justice Minister condemns disorder in Ballymena

      10 June 2025

    More news …
    Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on X (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

    Department footer links

    • Crown copyright
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy
    • Cookies
    • Accessibility
    • The Northern Ireland Executive
    • The Executive Office
    • Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
    • Department for Communities
    • Department for Education
    • Department for the Economy
    • Department of Finance
    • Department for Infrastructure
    • Department for Health
    • Department of Justice
    • nidirect.gov.uk — the official government website for Northern Ireland citizens