Onside Soccer started in India in 2011. It grew out of a concern for children living on the streets — young people facing poverty, risk, and limited opportunity. Football became a way to meet them where they were. It wasn’t about setting up an organisation at first; it was simply about spending time with children who needed safety, structure, and someone who cared enough to keep showing up.

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As the work deepened, football became a tool for consistency and trust. Sessions led to friendships, and friendships led to mentoring. Over time, the work found its rhythm — helping boys and girls affected by crime, exploitation, or trafficking to find their feet again, one step at a time.

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From those early days, Onside began to connect with others working in similar situations. Projects followed in Uganda, supporting former child soldiers, and later in Iraq, Nigeria, Bolivia, and The Gambia. Each place looked different, but the heart of the work stayed the same: using football to create a sense of belonging, routine, and hope in difficult environments.

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Since 2017, Onside has also worked in the UK, mainly in London and Belfast. Here the context is different, but the challenges are familiar — young people looking for direction, community, and a safe place to grow.

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More than a decade on, Onside remains shaped by what began in those first sessions in India: a belief that football, done with care and consistency, can open space for connection, confidence, and change that lasts far beyond the game itself.