08/09/2026
Inspector Richard Field, Redditch Safer Neighbourhood Team, challenges commentary surrounding "Footy4All" project:
"Redditch is a diverse town, and I am genuinely proud to work in an area where your ethnicity or background do not determine the opportunities available to you.
This project is open to every young person in Redditch and has run for many years, attracting engagement from a wide range of our communities. The fact that one session has attracted a significant number of young people from the South Asian community is a sign of the confidence that West Mercia Police has with young people from different backgrounds. This should be seen as a success, not a criticism. In this instance, we have reached young people who may not previously have had access to organised sport, and we have actively encouraged them to consider joining established local clubs.
I would invite people to reflect on some of the comments being made on the previous post, and their underlying tone. Behind every young person involved in this project is a family, a volunteer, a coach or someone who has invested their time in helping them participate in sport. That investment is about far more than football, cricket, boxing or any other sport. It is about preventing ASB, building positive relationships between young people and the police, improving wellbeing, creating opportunities and ultimately investing in our future — our children.
I remain absolutely committed to this project and to the partnership work behind it. I am proud that Redditch is a place where we can bring people from different communities together through sport and positive activity. Difference should not be something we fear or use to divide people. It should be something we embrace.
That is the Redditch I am proud to serve, and the Redditch I will continue to champion, working hard to create opportunities and a brighter future for the next generation."
