We believe that through the power of football, every child can thrive and feel that they belong. This is what inspired a small group of eight pupils aged 10–11 at Windsor Clive Primary School in Ely to develop their own Cardiff City Mini-Supporters Club - an after-school club bound by a shared love of football and connected by the Bluebirds.
School staff felt that several children had limited opportunities to connect with peers who shared their interests in a safe and welcoming space that understood their needs. For some of these pupils, school days could feel long and busy, social times could feel overwhelming, and confidence could dip when speaking in group settings.
Cardiff City FC Community Foundation’s Premier League Primary Stars sessions motivated the school to take action and helped pupils transfer their skills and newfound self-esteem outside of the classroom. This allowed the children to step into the Supporters Club feeling familiar, supported, and connected.
Funded by the Premier League through the Premier League Foundation, this programme uses the appeal of football to help children stay active and develop essential life skills. Premier League Primary Stars enables teachers to use resources across English, PSHE, PE, and Maths to support children in developing the skills and values that are crucial to success later in life.
Cardiff City FC Community Foundation, the official charity of Cardiff City FC, has been working with Windsor Clive over a 12-week delivery block, building a familiar bridge between the children and the football club to create a strong pillar of support.
Community Foundation staff and the Windsor Clive worked together to reinforce shared values such as respect, teamwork, and kindness across both practical sessions and the Supporters Club, helping pupils continuously improve their communication skills and reduce feelings of loneliness outside of sessions.
The after-school club has become a weekly staple in the children’s routines, supporting their mental health and wellbeing. Calm, structured activities around matches, players, and club identity encouraged discussion and gave each child an opportunity to have their voice heard. The smaller setting, paired with friendly games and competitions, also helped quieter pupils contribute, feel valued, build closer friendships, and develop greater confidence.
Danielle Harris, Assistant Headteacher and ALNco at Windsor Clive Primary School, said: “The purpose of the Cardiff City Mini-Supporters Club is to provide children with additional learning needs with greater engagement through an after-school club. We discuss things that are happening in our lives, using football as the starting point. Our motto is: Cardiff City is life. Life is a game.”
The school has noticed a clear improvement in the group’s emotional wellbeing. Children report feeling happier, calmer, and more included since attending. Football has become a valuable tool in helping them self-regulate outside of the sessions, with pupils able to settle more quickly, take turns, and recover more positively from setbacks.
The children wrote letters to the Community Foundation explaining how the Supporters Club makes them feel:
• “It helps me stay happy and calm.”
• “It helps me concentrate.”
• “I go to the club because it helps me stay entertained.”
Platfform is a mental health and social justice charity, and works to create the conditions for people, communities and organisations to thrive. Platfform’s team has supported Cardiff City Football Club on their wellbeing journey by providing Trauma Awareness Training for all staff, and the senior leaders additionally with Compassionate Leadership skills sessions.
There is growing evidence that our mental health is fundamentally shaped by the circumstances in which people are born, live, work, and play (WHO, 2014; WHO, 2022). This means relationships need to be at the heart of everything.
The creation of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships that buffer adversity and build resilience are mental health interventions.
Peter Johnson, Commercial Director at Platfform added: "At Platfform we work to change the story around mental health. Wellbeing and good mental health are about being connected, and meaningful relationships with people around us. We know safe, stable and nurturing relationships build resilience. Small actions make a difference. By showing up for their friend, taking initiative, and standing together, the Cardiff City Mini-Supporters Club demonstrated the power of coming together. Their passion for Cardiff City doesn’t just motivate them - it turns compassion into connection and leads to better mental health."
The Cardiff City Mini-Supporters Club has helped previously withdrawn pupils find a place where they feel socially connected and supported. It shows how football, combined with small but meaningful actions, can help children develop resilience, identity and self-expression in spaces where they feel comfortable being themselves.
Luke Jenkins-Jones, Early Years & Primary Education Coordinator at Cardiff City FC Community Foundation reflected: “Receiving letters from the Cardiff City Mini-Supporters Club made our day and we were equally inspired by how the school had used what they learnt from us to do more with their voice in school and beyond. To reward the pupils for all their hard work, we were thrilled to surprise them with a special stadium tour and a team talk with some of their favourite players — Nathan Trott, Alex Robertson and Rubin Colwill — a moment they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. It’s so important to create mentally healthy communities for children and young people early on, so they can reap the benefits of feeling valued and being part of a real team, and we’re delighted to play a part in that."