More than 150 young people from over 14 football clubs across greater Belfast came together for the fifth annual Play & Unite summer camp, supported by Clanmil Housing and six other housing associations.

Clanmil, alongside Apex, Ark, Choice, Radius, Woven and NB Housing, supported the Play & Unite camp, which was delivered by the Sport Changes Life Foundation. The five-day programme took place at Clarendon Sports Complex in North Belfast, before concluding with a celebration event at the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park.

Designed for children aged 8 to 10, the camp used football as a vehicle to promote positive community relations, bringing together young people from different backgrounds to build friendships, develop new skills and learn important life lessons both on and off the pitch.

Participating clubs included Celtic Boys, Knockbreda, Albert Foundry, St Malachys, Doyle, Bloomfield, Albion Star, Carryduff Colts, Woodvale, Ridgeway Rovers, Kelvin Youth, Linfield, Willowbank and Berlin Swifts.

Alongside football coaching and games, participants took part in a range of interactive workshops focused on personal development, good relations, healthy relationships, mental health, community safety and player welfare. Sessions were delivered by Sport Changes Life Foundation and partner organisations including the Irish FA, Women's Aid, Tackling Awareness of Mental Health Issues (TAMHI), the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Professional Footballers' Association of Northern Ireland (PFANI).

The programme concluded with a World Cup-style tournament on the Olympia Leisure Centre 3G pitch and guided tours of the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park. Participants also attended a celebration event in the Pat Jennings Lounge, where they were joined by special guests including Irish FA President Colin McKendry, Sport Changes Life Ambassador and Portadown FC Manager David Jeffrey MBE, Northern Ireland Women's International Megan Bell and former Northern Ireland international Gerry Armstrong.

This year marked the fifth anniversary of the Play & Unite camp, which began in 2022 after local youth coaches Emma Morgan from Celtic Boys and Stephen Rea from Knockbreda FC recognised the need to tackle division and sectarianism among young players. What started with 60 participants from two clubs has grown into a flagship good relations programme involving around 160 young people from more than 14 clubs.

The Play & Unite project is supported by the Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's Housing for All Shared Housing Programme. The programme has its origins in the Northern Ireland Executive's Together: Building a United Community Strategy, reflecting its commitment to improving community relations and creating a more united and shared society.

Funding for this year's programme was provided through seven housing associations, Apex, Ark, Choice, Clanmil, Radius, Woven and NB Housing, as part of their Good Relations Plans linked to shared housing developments across Belfast and the surrounding area. Working alongside local advisory groups and residents, these plans support projects that bring people together, strengthen community connections and promote positive relations.

Speaking on behalf of all the housing associations, Lauren Hamidi Craig, Community Investment Officer at Clanmil, said:

"Our goal is to create homes where people can live well, and that includes encouraging those living in and around our shared neighbourhoods to take part in inclusive, community-building projects like Play & Unite. As we celebrate the camp's fifth anniversary, it's fantastic to see so many young people coming together through sport to build friendships, develop confidence and promote respect and understanding. We're proud to support an initiative that is helping create stronger, more connected communities."

Participant Finn, aged 10, Celtic Boys FC said:

"I loved coming to Play & Unite because it was really fun every day. We got to play loads of football, but the best part was meeting loads of new people from different clubs. I made new friends that I probably wouldn't have met without the camp."

Participant Olivia Rose, 9, Woodvale FC Academy:

"I really enjoyed the camp because every day we learned something new in the workshops as well as playing football. My favourite part was making friends with girls from other teams that I'd never met before, and I hope I get to see them again next year!"

Alan Teggart, CEO, Sport Changes Life Foundation added:

 "The success of this year's Play & Unite Football Camp shows what can be achieved when organisations come together to invest in young people. Throughout the week, we saw participants build new friendships, grow in confidence and develop a greater understanding of respect, inclusion and teamwork. While football brought everyone together, the camp offered so much more, with workshops on personal development, mental health, healthy lifestyles, community safety, positive relationships and good relations.

Sport has an incredible ability to unite people and it creates opportunities to connect, breaks down barriers and provides young people with experiences that challenge perceptions and build lasting friendships across communities. Sport Changes Life loved facilitating the event and a huge thank you to everyone involved on what was a special 5th anniversary of the project.”