"They are just like us": An Evaluation of the Rio Ferdinand Foundation’s Beyond the Ball programme.

In August 2024, on behalf of the International Fund for Ireland, Ulster University (UU) was commissioned by the Rio Ferdinand Foundation to conduct an evaluation of the Beyond the Ball programme for the 2024-25 delivery period. This evaluation builds on a previous evaluation conducted by UU for the Rio Ferdinand Foundation on their Youth in Action programme (see Murray et al., 2022). The research was conducted with the support of public agencies, community organisations, and key partners, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and An Garda Síochána. Organisers and facilitators from these groups offered input on the evaluation’s direction and participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. Additionally, young people who took part in the Beyond the Ball programme shared their experiences in focus groups and via a survey. The core research team consisted of Dr Conor Murray, Dr Julie Harris, Ruth Walker, Dr Brendan Coyle, Dr Federico Genovesi and Dr Tawanda Nyawasha