Matchroom and Coach Core Launch ‘Undercard’ apprenticeship programme

The Matchroom Charitable Foundation has today announced a new partnership with Coach Core Foundation to launch ‘Undercard’ – a new apprenticeship programme designed to create meaningful career opportunities for young people across the UK through sport.

Backed by a £57,750 investment from the Matchroom Charitable Foundation, the programme will fund 10 apprenticeship roles linked to the sports promoted across the Matchroom group, including boxing, darts, snooker, pool and fishing, with placements delivered through organisations and partners operating across the wider sports industry.

Powered by the Matchroom Charitable Foundation and delivered by Coach Core Foundation, Undercard will support young people aged 16–24 into employment, education and long-term careers through a combination of paid work, nationally recognised qualifications and wraparound support.

The programme has been specifically designed to support young people who may traditionally face barriers to employment, including those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, ethnically diverse communities, disabled young people and those who may not have accessed conventional routes into the sector.

Employers involved in the programme will recruit apprentices directly into paid roles, while Coach Core Foundation will oversee programme delivery and provide ongoing support to both apprentices and employers throughout the 13-16 month journey.

Participating organisations will also receive a £5,000 grant contribution from the Matchroom Charitable Foundation towards salary and employment costs, alongside support to access wider government apprenticeship incentives and funding where eligible.

Combined, many employers could receive between £7,000 and £8,000+ worth of funding support towards an apprenticeship placement – helping remove some of the financial barriers that can often prevent organisations from creating opportunities for young people.

Across the programme, apprenticeships will span areas including coaching, business administration and social media, while also helping shine a light on the wider workforce that exists behind major sporting events and organisations.

While many young people only see the athletes and action on screen, Undercard aims to expose participants to the breadth of careers that exist across sport – including operations, events, media, digital content, marketing, community engagement and business support.

The programme also hopes to create greater access for young women pursuing careers within sport, events and media, while supporting organisations to build more diverse and representative workforces across the sector.

Speaking on the launch of the programme, Matchroom Sport Founder and President Barry Hearn explained why the initiative felt particularly important in the current climate.

“I grew up in a working-class family where opportunities didn’t always feel accessible or guaranteed,” said Hearn.

“One of the things I’ve always believed is that talent exists everywhere, but opportunity doesn’t always. That’s a big part of why this programme matters,” he continued.

“Across Matchroom, we’ve seen people come into the business in junior roles and build incredible careers for themselves over time. The Undercard is about helping more young people realise that there is a place for them within this industry, regardless of their background or where they start from.”

Since launching in 2012, Coach Core Foundation has supported more than 1,150 apprenticeships through its national network of employers and partners, using sport as a vehicle to improve employment outcomes for young people.

For Coach Core Foundation CEO Gary Laybourne, the partnership represents an opportunity to connect young people to an industry that can often feel inaccessible.

“The Undercard is about opening doors and helping marginalised young people realise that sport isn’t just what they see on TV or play in the park,” reflected Laybourne.

“It can be the springboard to a meaningful job and qualifications that will change their lives forever,” he added.

“For many young people, careers in this sector can feel out of reach or simply invisible. We want to change that by creating meaningful opportunities linked to some of the biggest sporting events and organisations in the country – and they don’t get much bigger than Matchroom.”

The launch also carries particular significance for Emily Frazer, who began her own journey within Matchroom through work experience before progressing to become CEO of Matchroom Multi Sport.

“I started at Matchroom through work experience, so I know first-hand how important opportunity can be,” explained Frazer.

“Barry believed in me early in my career, gave me the chance to learn, develop and grow within the business, and that journey eventually led me to becoming a director,” she continued.

“That’s why the Undercard is such an important programme. There are so many talented young people who just need someone to open the door and give them an opportunity to prove themselves.”

As part of the wider programme, Coach Core will continue supporting employers involved in Undercard to maximise additional apprenticeship funding opportunities and create sustainable long-term pathways across the sector.

Coach Core Director of People & Learning Paul Thompson believes that wider visibility is a crucial part of the programme’s impact.

“One of the most exciting things about the Undercard is that it helps show the breadth of careers that sit behind sport and major events,” stated Thompson.

“There are incredible opportunities across media, operations, business support, events, community delivery and digital content that many young people never get exposure to,” he highlighted.

“Through this partnership, we want to help young people not only access those careers, but genuinely thrive within them.”

The launch of Undercard forms part of the Matchroom Charitable Foundation’s wider commitment to using sport as a platform for long-term social impact – creating opportunities that extend beyond the arena and helping strengthen pathways into employment across the communities connected to Matchroom events and sport.

Further announcements, including opportunities for young people to apply for roles through the programme, will follow later this year.

If you’re an employer and you’d like more information on the programme, please visit the Coach Core website: Coach Core Foundation x Matchroom