Street Soccer Foundation Appoints Shift7 to Lead Communications
- Shift7
- Feb 4
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 6
The Street Soccer Foundation, a leading UK charity using football to help tackle youth homelessness, has appointed our team as its external PR and communications partner to support the ongoing growth of its flagship campaign, The Big Goal.
The Street Soccer Foundation’s mission is simple but powerful. Changing lives through football by creating routes into education and employment, enabling positive futures while tackling youth homelessness and social exclusion through personal development, confidence building and long-term change.
The Big Goal is the Foundation’s award-winning corporate social impact campaign, bringing businesses together through football to fund and support Street Soccer Academies nationwide. Built around a national corporate membership model, organisations contribute to a Social Impact Fund that ensures sustainable investment into frontline delivery, while connecting the business community with real lives being changed both on and off the pitch.
The Street Soccer Foundation is chaired by Lord Bailey of Paddington, who serves as Chair of the Trustees.
Lord Bailey said,“The Street Soccer Foundation exists to prove that with the right support, opportunity and belief, lives can be transformed. The Big Goal has become a defining part of that mission, bringing together the business community in a way that delivers lasting, measurable impact. We are incredibly proud of how the campaign has grown and the difference it continues to make for individuals and communities across the UK.”
As part of the brief, we will support the Foundation by raising awareness of its charitable work and brand profile, while also promoting its corporate partners and showcasing the impact being delivered in local communities nationwide through the delivery of its Academy programmes across the country.
A growing national movement backed by UK businesses
The Big Goal campaign has doubled in size in its first two years, with The Big Goal national 5-a-side football corporate tournament expanding from 34 teams in 2025 to what will be 60 plus teams for the 2026 campaign. Teams include headline sponsor Giacom, alongside founding members PXC, Focus Group, Gamma, Virgin Media Business, Sky Business Wholesale and several others.
Companies taking part in The Big Goal sponsor places on the Street Soccer Academy programme, supporting young people through a structured 12-week programme combining football coaching, personal development, mentoring and employability support. This approach helps participants build confidence, resilience and essential life skills while improving physical and mental wellbeing.
As part of their involvement, sponsoring companies also enter teams into The Big Goal National Football Tournament, with the national winners earning the opportunity to represent England at the FIFCO Corporate World Cup.
The Big Goal National Finals and Gala Dinner for the 2025/2026 campaign will take place on 11th June at St George’s Park, the home of English men’s and women’s football.
Keith Mabbutt, Founder and CEO of the Street Soccer Foundation, said, “As The Big Goal continues to grow, it is vital that we have a strong communications partner who understands how to engage the business community and tell our story clearly and credibly. The Shift7 team has an excellent track record in B2B communications and a real strength in storytelling and brand building. Just as importantly, it is clear that they share our passion for using sport as a force for good, and I am thrilled to be working closely with Alex as we take the campaign to the next level.”
Alex Brooks, Founder of Shift7, added, “I am a strong believer that sport brings people together, and the Street Soccer Foundation is a true example of that in action. No one should be without a home and I think Keith’s mission to help end youth homelessness is extremely achievable with the work the charity is doing. Being able to help raise awareness and play a small part in that work is a huge privilege for both me personally and for Shift7 as an agency.”
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