St Mary’s University recently hosted an expert panel conference featuring applied practitioners from the Chelsea FC Foundation, who shared their experiences in designing, delivering, and evaluating community-based interventions.
The event provided a fantastic opportunity for SMU students to engage directly with industry professionals and gain practical insights that will help shape their own approaches to community development and academic work.
Guest Speakers at the panel conference included:
- Inclusion and Disability Senior Officer, Ellie Crabb
- Impact and Evaluation Officer, Adele Priestley
- Senior Youth Inclusion Officer, George Bournous.
Key takeaways from the panel included:
- Real-World Expertise - How interventions are planned, implemented, monitored, and evaluated to create meaningful impact for marginalised groups.
- Breaking Barriers – Understanding what makes interventions successful and the strategies used to overcome challenges in community engagement.
- Adapting to Community Needs – Exploring how interventions remain flexible and responsive to the changing needs of diverse communities.
Speaking on the event, Level 6 student at St Mary’s Orla McComb said, “It gave us a valuable insight into the interventions at Chelsea, which uses structured strategies to break down barriers in all aspects."
Lecturer in Football Development and Coaching at St Mary’s Becky Shubber-Barton added, “This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to meet applied practitioners working in the industry. Engaging with professionals at this level is extremely beneficial for their development moving forward. Opportunities like this, where students can interact with and learn directly from industry experts, provide essential real-world insights that help bridge the gap between theory and practice. A huge thank you to our expert speakers, as well as Conal Murnin (Senior Project Officer) and Tom Sims (Project Coordinator) for their efforts in organising the staff for this event.”
