Portsmouth gran Tina Jacobs ‘very humbled’ after winning national grassroots ‘Mutual Respect’ football award

Tina Jacobs, 57, set up the Victory Hants club - a diverse community group for disabled people, the homeless and those with mental health issues - eight years ago.

In 2019 the club became an official Community Interest Company - a not-for-profit limited company meaning all monies are recycled for local good causes.

Now Tina’s community work has been recognised after she became only the second ever winner of the Nationwide Mutual Respect Award.

The Respect Award is part of The Football Association's Respect campaign, which aims to help make grassroots football more respectful and positive.

The award, say the FA, ‘recognises outstanding contributions, achievements and behaviour in grassroots football across the country by young players under the age of 18, coaches, teams, parents and referees.’

Tina was chosen as the February winner and told The News: ‘It’s an absolute honour, it really, really is.

‘It’s very special for all of us, it’s made me very proud as well.

‘It’s a great lift after what has been a very tough year for everyone.

‘I feel very, very humbled.’

England manager Gareth Southgate offered his own thanks for the work unsung hero Tina and her band of volunteers do on behalf of the vulnerable.

‘Congratulations to Tina on winning the Nationwide Mutual Respect Award for February and thank you for everything you do in your community and for the help that you give to people in your area,’ he said.

Chris Hull, Nationwide Mutual Respect Award ambassador, added: ‘Tina and her group provide football sessions for the young players and those of all ages on a weekly basis. During the pandemic, she has been keeping the sessions going online with activity, games and constant engagement.

‘However, that is barely half of Tina's story as she and her willing band of volunteers have turned to helping those in need in the local community with free food packages and support in these recent trying times.

‘Helping the community is at the centre of Tina's life and she thoroughly deserves this recognition.’

Tina explained: ‘We are very proud of the work of Victory Hants.

‘It is a diverse, active community involvement organisation and offers inclusive football and activity for anyone aged 14 and over.

‘Our participants have a previous history of homelessness, mental health issues, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, long-term unemployment or have suffered social isolation.

‘The purpose of the group is to break down barriers within the community with the help of football for our participants.’

Canterbury-born Tina knew from an early age that she wanted to devote her life to helping others.

‘When I was growing up I lived next door to a social worker and he often told me his stories about meeting homeless people,’ she recalled.

‘They absolutely intrigued me as a child, and I had an overwhelming desire to work in that field.’

Tina ended up doing just that. Thirty eight years ago she moved to Portsmouth on a one-year work contract, and has never left. ‘I fell in love with the city and the people here,’ she confessed. ‘I love everything about this place.’

Tina was involved with the Central Point homeless shelter in Fratton and the national Rethink Mental Illness charity, before leaving work to become a full-time carer for family members.

Tina first became involved in holding football sessions in order to give one of her daughters, who is disabled, a chance to take part in physical activity.

‘I noticed there weren’t many opportunities for disabled people to enjoy sport and recreational activities - certainly juveniles with disabilities.’

From there, she organised regular get-togethers involving people with mental health problems, the homeless and the LGBT community.

‘It was a platform for people to learn to understand one another in a fairly neutral setting,’ she explained. ‘Sport can break down barriers.’

Those sessions stopped when Tina took on the role of caring for family members, but her enthusiasm was reignited after a chance meeting in Portsmouth city centre.

‘I was walking through town one day and met one of my ex-clients who was homeless. He told me he missed the football sessions we used to have.

‘I made an innocent comment of ‘well, put the word round on the streets and see if you can get a group together - we’ll meet at Fratton Rec next week for a kickabout.’

From that little acorn grew the larger oak of regular sessions, with one of the players eventually passing a Hampshire FA coaching course - enabling the group to be split into two smaller ones based on ability.

From there, Victory Hants was set up with subsequent indoor get-togethers - involving music and alternative therapies - taking place at the Deaf Association club in Arundel Street.

Football wise, the group moved to the Goals five-a-side centre on the Eastern Road for regular Friday sessions.

‘Goals have been so supportive,’ said Tina. ‘They have been one of our biggest supporters. And Julie Crook at the Deaf Association has been brilliant as well, so supportive.’

Tina is no one-woman army; instead she is supported by ‘an amazing team of 13 volunteers, I am very humbled to have such a great team.

‘We run everything out of an old motorhome in Baffins. We did move into the Deaf Association centre last February but we were only there for three weeks before the pandemic hit.’

Lockdown life forced Tina to re-evaluate Victory Hants’ priorities and diversify their help to support some of the most vulnerable people on Portsea Island.

Since March 2020, the group have ‘provided free food to those with special requirements, provided school age children in Portsmouth with a daily lunch and access to learning resources including pre-loved, re-cycled laptops and learning devices.

‘Victory Hants has also provided emergency food parcels to those who have found themselves being made redundant or on extended furlough.’

At its height, Tina and her band of volunteers were distributing over 220 food parcels per week for three months. ‘I have never been so busy in my entire life,’ she recalled. ‘I was exhausted.’

As of last week, that service has started to be scaled back. ‘We want to encourage people to go out more now,’ Tina declared.

In addition to their food parcels, Victory Hants have over 150 members who they have ‘kept occupied and engaged’ during the pandemic via an online support service including games, quizzes and inclusive exercise classes.

Due to ongoing restrictions, the group have held just a handful of football sessions at Goals since the first lockdown was announced almost a year ago. ‘I thought we would be lucky to get six people,’ Tina remembered, ‘but we had 24 - I was astonished.

‘There is still so much fear out there. That fear is still rife.

‘We’re due to return on April 16 but I have no idea how many will turn up.

‘We will have an awful amount of work to do to encourage people back out to our sessions.

‘If people come along and start to have fun again, I’m sure things will start to roll.

‘I’m keen to take even a small-sided group to Southampton or Brighton, just to get people moving around again.

‘We all have to start somewhere, don’t we?’

For further details, visit https://www.victoryhants.co.uk/