A football club built to provide opportunity, working to empower communities.
HOW WE BEGAN
Leicester Nirvana FC (known as Nirvana) began its activities in Leicester in growing out of the Red Star Youth Group, based in the inner city area of Highfields, once one of the most deprived areas in the Country. Nirvana started its journey in the early 1980’s, amidst a changing political and racial landscape, facing many financial and socio-economic challenges that had arisen Nationally and Locally.
The original name of the club started as Red Star FC, then R.S Originals, which later changed to Nirvana FC, and today, known as Leicester Nirvana FC.
The Red Star project was itself an example of… the refusal of young black men of Asian and Afro-Caribbean descent to be cast as victims in the system, but, instead to act upon and shape their world and the world of Leicester politics.
Galvanised by racial injustice, exemplified by the rise of the National Front and continuing persecution of people of colour at the hands of the police across Britain, Red Star was born in a climate of growing political resistance.
Red Star, took its name and had its roots in a football team, and it has remained closely tied to football up to the present time [although the team is now known as Leicester Nirvana FC.
Taken from the book, Black and Ethnic Leaderships: The Cultural Dimensions of Political Action. Sallie Westwood
Starting on Spinney Hill Park and Spence Street before playing on Victoria Park in south Leicester in the local Mutual League, Nirvana lacked the resources and the facilities demanded by the local football pyramid. In 1989 the club’s senior adult side moved out of Leicestershire football to join the Central Midlands League. In the early 1990s however, frustrated by the lack of access to resources in adult football in Leicester, club members began to think about developing a very different sort of club focusing on youngsters only. Leicester Nirvana was born.
As football for children took off in Leicester in the 1990s, so Nirvana grew as a positive haven for inner city youngsters and for Leicester children from wider afield. Thanks to the clubs enthusiasm and care, the club was able to recruit some of the most talented young players in the city.
With a strong Black and South Asian holding, Nirvana faced its fair share of discrimination. The club became a real local community club for the whole city, particularly for parents and their children from multi-racial inner city backgrounds.
Nirvana is now a true local melting pot centred around the integrative sport of football with players from over 70 countries across the world.
history of thurnby nirvana fc
Our senior team currently play in the United Counties Premier Division, Step 5 of the non-league pyramid system. The journey for our senior section only began in 2008. In the build-up to the football season of 2008-09 Thurnby Rangers and Nirvana initiated a conversation relating to the possibility of the two clubs merging their senior teams to create Thurnby Nirvana football club.
Nirvana and Thurnby Rangers FC had both already established their own identities at the local football level. Thurnby Rangers were a successful senior side in the early 2000s, whilst Nirvana no longer had a senior side but had an outstanding reputation at mini, junior and youth football levels both locally and nationally.
Over the years, players from the youth teams of Nirvana have successfully moved up to the senior team, alongside some of our management and committee members.
In the 2015/ 16 season, the senior team of Thurnby Nirvana reverted to the club name of Leicester Nirvana after ground developments and new facilities were installed at Hamilton Park.
WHO WE ARE TODAY
Today at Nirvana, junior talent is nurtured from the age of 5 years up to under 18’s, as well as adult Seniors reserves and Seniors first team, providing a clear pathway for young players to develop into men’s football in the non-league pyramid system. The club also has teams that are part of the grassroots league systems, from Under 7’s through to adults.
Known for developing young talented players and strong teams, the club set about structuring a development project (Saturday Development Club) to focus on providing opportunities for young players aged 5-11 that are at the start of their football journey, to have access to structured coaching in a friendly environment. These sessions are based on the principles of Coerver coaching and also allow players to learn and progress each week, ensuring that children benefit physically, socially and psychologically.
Today, Nirvana embodies more than just a football club and aims to be a platform that allows young people to access life-changing opportunities via football and other arenas.
Developing round human beings, the club has supported:
initiatives to reduce knife crime and serious violence in communities, particularly for young people
campaigns that call for the eradication of racism in football
developed a pathway for referees into football, leading to employment
creation of a club history exhibition that was displayed in the largest museum in the city
adopting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to become the first Net Zero grassroots club in the UK
With a strong community focus, Nirvana continues to fuse football and the sporting development of individuals with the wider work of advocacy to influence public policy and the decisions that ultimately affect communities.