Ian Wright to star in Football Behind Bars for Sky1
Public concern regarding issues such as anti-social behaviour, gang culture and knife crime continues to grow, and with over 70% of offenders aged 18-20 years old re-offending within a two year period post release. In FOOTBALL BEHIND BARS, starting Monday 7th September at 10pm on Sky1, former professional footballer and young offender Ian Wright is on a personal mission to try and break this cycle.
Across the six part series, FOOTBALL BEHIND BARS will show what life is like inside for young offenders at Portland Young Offenders Institution, and will follow Ian’s work helping them create and participate in their own football academy.
Armed with his own personal motivation of tackling adversity to change his own wayward path, Ian Wright hopes to use football as a way of instilling in the young offenders a sense of pride, achievement and motivation towards a better future. Trials, open to all inmates, will select a squad of 24 who will make up the first wave of the new football academy. Discipline and hard work are then essential if the offenders are to keep their squad place, as weekly assessments with Ian take place, culminating in an exhibition match at the end of the series.
Fitting in with the institution’s exercise schedule, trainers, physios and sports psychologists will work alongside the prison’s own Physical Education team, headed up by Barry Clark. As well as nurturing footballing talent, the series will also show how essential life skills such as organisation, anger management, communication, trust and team work play in the rehabilitation and social integration into society of young offenders on their release.
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my boyfriend is in this prson doing the football so proud of u
my boyfriend is in this prison doing the football academy im so proud of u. wooo 27 days until your out
I wouldn’t be advertising the fact your boyfriend is in prison, and that you are proud of it!
yeah that is bad, bad!
One of the so called footballers is the kid who burgled my house and stole my jewellery, including my late mother’s wedding ring. Sorry, but I find it hard to watch something like this. What’s being done for the victims of these thugs???? NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
alowe u lot i am proud of my man not for what hes done but what hes doing, the football academy gives the prisoners a chance to do something what there good at so dont hate. life is what u make it im not proud of what hes done but im proud of what hes doin
let me ask you lot tis y u hating ? the past is the past i swer the whole point of tis documentry is to show ther progress and wat they wnt to do wit ther lives so evry1 chill out man tut!
FREE HUS!
my matt der bruv love you loads
so tell me “kmt” 1) WHO IS HATING, kmt 2) WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO HATE ON PRISONERS LOL AND 3) WHAT WOULD THEN HAPPEN IF THESE GUYS COME OUT AND NOT LEARN ANYTHING THAT PRISON TAUGHT THEM, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THEN HUH, ANYONE KNOW OR WILL YOU SAY “THEY’RE STILL LEARNGING, KMT”!!! SHUT UP MAN THESE GUYS IN PRISON MUST OF DONE MAD STUFF TO GET TO THAT POSITION AND PASS ALOT OF CONSEQUENCES BUT DONT YOU SAY WERE HATING!
I was involved in the filming of one of the episodes at Portland – the project was all about giving the inmates more skills to prevent re-offending and reclaim their future. Ours was specifically about helping the inmates develop anger management for those who were normally aggressive in responding to confrontational situations -and conversely to help develop assertive skills for those that needed assistance to handle peer pressure. The young men we dealt with all responded well and were very keen never to return to the intimidating environment of Portland HMYOI. Well done to the Portland HMYOI team, especially Barry Clark who was very supportive of what we were trying to achieve – and of course to Ian Wright who had the courage and commitment to challenge and help create opportunity for these young men. According to the CIPD, (April 2009) it has been estimated that a fifth of the working population has a criminal record. We all make mistakes. I’m looking forward to seeing the series.
not hating on prison hating on the girl that is proud of her man for doin the football academy so dont get rude yur jus mekin yuself luk dumb i wasnt sayin u wer hating yur gettin involved in sumtink that ent got nufink 2 do with u b so jam yurself and stop kissing yur teeth tut !
Corse ther in prison fo doin sumtin bad durrr thats wat prison fo so shut up! if they come out and nt learn enytink ther all stupid they must like being behind bars dont come to me and try it
Such work is already being done through football in prisons but by others that do not have the ‘fame or celeb’ tag. Sport is an excellent discipline for anyone to do and has always provided the tools that are also required to deal with what life throws at us. If this has never been taught in the home sport is an excellent substitute. Unfortunately our liberal academics have preached against this in schools for fear of damaging self esteem – you may experience losing (shock, horror!)Life is like that but we all have to learn how to handle it.
[...] Football Behind Bars – Former professional footballer Ian Wright attempts to set up a football academy in a young offenders institution to help the inmates learn teamwork, communication and anger management skills (premieres 7th September 2009). [...]
I ran three sessions for the program, discussing Anger Management with the lads at the YOI.
I found then to be a nice group, obviously there was a variety of reactions to my message that Anger is something that you can control but I hope that it was helpful. We certainly had some lively discussions and several of them were extremely articulate and for me it was sad that a variety of probably preventable factors had led them to being in there.
By the way, I am no ‘bleeding heart liberal’ I do believe in appropriate punishment for crime. However I also believe that a lot of criminals are not ‘bad people’ they are simply people who make bad choices.
Sadly, my sessions have been cut from the final edit of the program that will be aired, so my wit, charm and good looks will be hidden from the nation. Hmmmm, perhaps the nation is lucky after all
Excellent. Full of praise for the programme, Ian and the rationale behind it. I’ve volunteered for a charity which facilitates a reading programme in prisons. I think it’s up to the people who have skills and have been given the opportunities in life to encourage and nuture those who havn’t. Good luck with the series.
There was a section in the program worrying about the public reaction, the prison officer was worried about comments such as ‘Bereft’ has left above. Hence I am commenting to provide balance.
I think that schemes such as this are excellent, and provide a way to rehabilitate people and hopefully lower the astoundingly bad 70% reoffending rate quoted.
What I find sad is that things such as the anger management course etc are not normal. Rehabilitation and providing instruction and help so that prisoners Can change should be routine in prison, not the exception.
I love this programme ! The prison officer who stated that the public will disapprove and expect the law obiding citizens to get this sort of opportunity is incorrect from my point of view.
These boys/men have done terrible crimes and do deserve to be punished, but Ian is right when he says that if you don’t give them something positive to strive for then they’ll reoffend and hence cost the tax payers more money !
I just think it’s a good insight into why these boys/men behave the way they do and how they now become a united team and learn new life skills.
Well done Ian Wright !!!
Just wanted to say i fink its mint wat Ian wright is doin my best mates in there which is my mates bloke and i can see a huge change in him, it gave him sumit to focus on whilst being in there and he’s always been gd at footy and loves it, Chealsea are gettin in touch wid em wen e gets out so thats a positive thing for him.
Ian wright is a ledg n doesnt judge anyone wat a sound bloke!
Having now seen the footage of our assertiveness training with the lads from episode 2 it was good to hear the positive comments from the lads and I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of the programmes. We also filmed some ambush attacks on three of the men (which was not shown) and they did fantastically well – none of them fought back but tore themselves away and used powerful techniques to stop an aggressor in their tracks – without violence. We trust that these techniques will help when they go back to their home environments, for instance in also enabling them to handle peer pressure more effectively.
well good show i was in the program when i was in portland an i think wot ian wright done with the lags was good coz it gave us all a chance to fink a lot more about life and wot we have in life and where we wont to go with it and for sum of us we are makeing something out of it now i am coaching young lads under 13 for the nacro team in bournemouth to help young lads get of the street and show them that if u wont to do some thing u can but u carnt allways have help u have to do most of the work ur self wich i have been and done it all befor and frone it all away and came bk to doit agen an d now look at me am helping people to change and do something wont thay wont to do thanks to the popcourn tv and ian wright -gilly-ian-dan chelsy coachs
brett bay did u get along with francis
bless to all the ladz in hmp but most to the footy academy lagz who have stuck with it and not fell down all the ladz just coz there in prison dont mean there bad most of them are takein courses to change there life and to help outhers wich i think is the best thay can do and if no won likes it then thay not wot thay can do aaaaa. people do bad things and then have to face up to wot thay have done but it dont mean there bad for life not won bit erveywin has done some thing rong in there life but we are all the same we change coz we wont to not coz some won tellz us to and thats yy i have love for people who are willing to change for good bless h.m.p kev jamal shain joe cerbeee sam smoky burk burich madik parnel faire welshy keka slosh karmeos simmz_bristle boy fransis klifden barnit ali woodin well done ladz
is simmz by any chance glen? n did u no dave hyett? he got out yesterday….i think its gd that sum1 has the skill to help the lads get there skills known as it gives them summin to look frward to when they get out. hope ur ok glen will write to u soon bbe..keep up the good work all of you. xx
yer simmz is glen from bristal amd thax alot xxbbexx
i think it’s a great thing ian wright is doing,keep up the good work,don’t let the negative comments get u down,these lads need someone to look upto and u turned ur life around,keep it up ur a good man
yer i no that y am working with young people coz i dint have now won to help me when i was young so thats y i wont to help kid who ant got alot of slef of steem and help them later in life xx
Can some1 tell me ow i can watch football behind bars online without having to pay for it cuz i keep missing it on a mon cuz i gotta get up 4 work n dat bt wanna c um all
cheers
type it in to google footballl behind bars ian wright and it should cum up…
3 sarp outa portland soon home brudda
Abijah laurie should be proud of her man cause obviously his doing well & his clearly his attitude has changed by being on Ian Wright’s team!
I think what Ian’s doing is wicked. You can see the change in the men. So well done to all of them!
thank unique
Well done Ian.i am so thrilled to think that there are people out there that desire to change the destiny of others for the better.I can relate to everything that goes through your heart and mind at times cos I have been raised in similar conditions.Thank you for taking the initiative to do something about what your heart instructed.NB Even as you follow your heart,you will be blessed with the joy, satisfaction, gratitude, and peace that flows from ABOVE.
GOD BLESS YOU.
Well done Ian.i am so thrilled to think that there are people out there that desire to change the destiny of others for the better.I can relate to everything that goes through your heart and mind at times cos I have been raised in similar conditions.Thank you for taking the initiative to do something about what your heart instructed.NB Even as you follow your heart,you will be blessed with the joy, satisfaction, gratitude, and peace that flows from ABOVE.