A group of Aston Villa players embarked on an educational visit to HMP Birmingham earlier this month.
Representatives from the first team, Under-21s and Under-18s took the opportunity to learn about how the prison and legal systems work, the circumstances that may lead to someone being imprisoned and what life is like for those who have been detained.
The club’s Player Care Manager, Phil Roscoe, accompanied Matty Cash, Cameron Archer, Josh Feeney, Filip Marschall, Viljami Sinisalo, Tommi O’Reilly, Seb Revan, Ruben Shakpoke and Jayden Barber on the visit.
In the company of Governor Paul Newton and Physical Education Custodial Manager Pat Brown, the group were chaperoned around the prison as they learned about the processes in place for inmates.
Villa’s players also heard from two prisoners, who explained the circumstances and life choices around their imprisonment, before being shown around a cell block and the gym facilities.
Roscoe said: “I’d like to thank HMP Birmingham and the staff there for the fantastic experience provided during our visit.
“The purpose of the visit was to show that anyone can make poor life decisions where at the most severe can result in prison.
“We investigated what occurs during the process of being arrested, going to court and, ultimately, ending up in prison.
“The experience was to educate everyone involved in making sure good life decisions are made and also to hear from two people who are in prison after regretting the decisions they have made but ultimately learning from the experience.”
