Pho3nix driving real change for young people in Liverpool through sport and mentoring

Through its partnership with Dallaglio RugbyWorks in Liverpool, England, the Pho3nix Foundation is helping create a consistent, trusted presence in communities where many young people face complex challenges shaped by poverty, instability and limited access to opportunity.

Liverpool remains one of the most complex urban environments in the United Kingdom, with deep-rooted structural barriers affecting young people’s life chances. Access to structured sport and positive mentoring is often limited, and opportunities to build confidence, routine, and connection can be hard to find.

Using rugby as the entry point through its term-time and evening programmes, Pho3nix Dallaglio RugbyWorks Liverpool provides structure, mentorship, and a safe space where young people can be seen, heard, and challenged to grow.

Delivered through regular school-based and community engagements, the programme is designed to reach those who are least likely to engage with traditional systems. Many participants come from low-income households and face overlapping pressures, including additional educational needs, unstable home environments and reduced access to consistent support.

Through sport-based activity, young people develop transferable life skills, reporting improvements in teamwork, communication, problem-solving, resilience and digital capability over time.

Pho3nix’s support has also enabled the delivery of Career Taster Days, creating important bridges between education and employment for young people with limited exposure to professional environments.

For Michael, a Year 9 participant from Bootle, that journey has been deeply personal. Confident, energetic, and naturally drawn to leadership, he quickly became a central figure within the group. But he also struggled with emotional regulation and communication, which at times escalated tension.

Through consistent coaching and reflective practice, Michael has learned to communicate more effectively and better understand the impact of his behavior on others. On the pitch, where his competitive nature once led to moments of frustration, he is now learning to pause, reset and stay in control. Off it, he has started to embrace his role within the group more positively, encouraging others, helping maintain focus, and leading by example.

That growth has also shaped how he approaches his future. Once set on leaving education as soon as possible, Michael now plans to pursue formal training in mechanics, following in his father’s footsteps.

Stories like Michael’s reflect the deeper impact of the programme, building a sense of stability, trust, and belief where those foundations are often fragile. In communities where consistency is often lacking, that presence is powerful.

Through its partnership with Dallaglio RugbyWorks, Pho3nix is helping create more than access to sport. And for young people like Michael, it is helping shape clearer pathways, stronger futures and the confidence to pursue them.