West Ham and Arsenal to help prisoners

West Ham United and Arsenal are among the first Premier League clubs to commit themselves to an initiative launched yesterday by former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein and manager Arsene Wenger to offer coaching and refereeing courses to prison inmates.

Dein regularly tours prisons to deliver motivational talks and he believes that football’s influence can be positively used to improve statistics that currently see 63.9 per cent of adults reoffend within 12 months of their release.

The Twinning Project already has the backing of the Government, the Football Association, Premier League and English Football League, with West Ham vice-chairman Baroness Brady yesterday pledging the support of her club.

“My grandmother taught me that you must never look down on people unless you are helping them up, and I believe this project really goes to the heart of that sentiment,” said the Conservative peer.

Dein, who was also joined at yesterday’s Wembley launch by former Arsenal and West Ham striker Ian Wright, wants involvement of all clubs in the football pyramid. Arsenal are among those already involved with sending coaching foundation staff into prisons.

Wright, who spent two weeks in prison for a motoring offence, said that there were people in prison “just waiting for an opportunity to try and change”.

Wenger, asked about his future, said he expected to return to football in 2019 after leaving Arsenal following 22 years in May.

Asked when he would be back in the dugout, the Frenchman said: “Certainly at the beginning of the year. The best thing is not to manage in England because I spent so much time at the same club it would be a sin to go somewhere else.”

Wenger is also unsurprised by his old team’s 12-match unbeaten sequence. “I’m an Arsenal supporter and when Arsenal win I am happy,” he said. “I dedicated my whole life for this club to be in a good shape when I leave it and I think that’s what I did.”