Frenford Youth Club
Supporting young people in Redbridge since 1928.
We are Frenford Clubs – a youth charity based in the London Borough of Redbridge, dedicated to helping young people change their lives through the power of sport and youth development. For nearly a century, we’ve provided a safe, welcoming space where young people can be active, express themselves, and access the support they need to thrive.
Today, Frenford is a vibrant hub used by more than 3,200 young people every month, with over 5,400 young people registered as members each year.
Our work focuses on those aged 10–21, when the right support can make a life-changing difference. Whether through mentoring intervention, youth counselling, employability/educational support, or engagement with sport and creative arts programmes. Our mission is to help young people facing disadvantage (those living in poverty, affected by crime, or experiencing mental ill health, inequality) to build confidence, resilience, and positive futures. Though we welcome all young people through our doors regardless of circumstances.
Our vision is simple: to serve the young people of Redbridge by making our facilities and activities accessible, open and available to them.
Because when young people are supported, they go on to strengthen their communities.
History
Frenford Clubs was founded in 1928, when a small group of boys aged 10–12 began gathering every Sunday at the Friends Meeting House on Albert Road, Ilford. The club’s founder, Jack Carter, had just left a Sunday service when he noticed the boys aimlessly kicking a ball outside. Seeing their need for purpose and engagement, he invited them inside teaching them draughts, chess. By 1930, the small gathering had grown into a thriving sports and social club, offering a wide-ranging programme of physical, mental and spiritual activities for boys aged 12 to 18.
In 1940, the club moved to Cleveland School, where it operated from the basement for the next 35 years. Just a year later, in 1941, girls were welcomed into the club—marking an important step toward inclusion. By 1958, Frenford’s impact was nationally recognised when the Duke of Gloucester, then President of the National Association of Boys Clubs, visited to commemorate 30 years of outstanding youth work in Ilford.
Reflecting on the journey, Jack Carter said:
“My horizons have been widened, my patience increased, and my spiritual life deepened by my experiences. What of the future? Having come so far, my sincerest prayer is to see Frenford established in its own premises on a firm financial basis.”
In 1975, the club relocated to Cricklefields in Seven Kings, and in 1995, Jack Carter witnessed a dream come true as Frenford signed an agreement with the London Borough of Redbridge to lease a 19-acre sports ground at Oakfield, Barkingside. The site, known as the Jack Carter Pavilion, opened in 1998, establishing a second base and supporting both youth development and wider community use by clubs like Bealonians FC and Hainault & Clayhall Cricket Club.
In 2010, Frenford moved into its current home: the Jack Carter Centre on The Drive, a purpose-built facility designed with input from club members and youth workers. The Cricklefields site was later repurposed to make way for Isaac Newton Academy, and the Oakfield site was returned to Redbridge Council.
Today, Jack Carter’s original vision—a clubhouse of our own and a stable financial foundation—has been realised. Frenford remains deeply rooted in the Redbridge community, continuing to evolve and serve thousands of young people every month.
Jack Carter (BEM)
Founder of Frenford Clubs