How a Trip to France sparked Toby’s next chapter
Through the Sports Dans La Ville exchange with Palace for Life, Toby discovered the confidence to travel abroad for the first time, speak in Parliament, and start a career helping young people with special needs.
Toby, a young person from South London and a Crystal Palace F.C. season ticket holder, first got involved with our work through the Sports Dans La Ville programme. Since then, he has gone on to achieve incredible things, including speaking in front of Oliver Glasner, Joel Ward, Steve Parish, Councillors, and MPs at the Houses of Parliament.
Attendees visit a Palace for Life event at the Houses of Parliament, London on 15 October 2025 (Photo: Micah Crook/KontentHaus)
The Sports Dans La Ville programme is one of our valued partnerships, through which we create opportunities for young people, supporting their work with disadvantaged youth in France.
Having never travelled abroad, or even outside London, Toby viewed this experience as an incredible opportunity to overcome personal challenges and take on something entirely new.
Living with autism, he wanted to use the trip to grow in confidence and open up new opportunities for himself. And that’s exactly what he did.
He made remarkable progress in France. He helped run sports sessions, guided younger children on visits and played a key role in organising “English Day”, which showed the French students some classic English activities.
He worked with his peers to create their own Olympic squad, complete with flag and motto and pushed himself in outdoor challenges like canyoning in the mountains. The trip ended in Lyon, where Toby and the group watched Olympic events and the Argentina v Ukraine football match at the Groupama Stadium.
Since then, Toby has kept in touch with our team and was given an opportunity to tell his story, alongside his mentor Sarah Hoddy, at the Houses of Parliament as part of our FA Cup celebration.
During his talk at the Houses of Parliament, Toby reflected on his journey with Palace for Life, sharing how he finally felt a sense of belonging among his peers at the sessions.
Toby was met with a round of applause when he shared that he is now a teaching assistant at a local special needs school and is due for a promotion in the coming months, something we’re incredibly proud of.
Attendees visit a Palace for Life event at the Houses of Parliament, London on 15 October 2025 (Photo: Micah Crook/KontentHaus)
Having gone from stepping nervously into something new, to leading activities with confidence. His mum, Mary, captured the impact in her own words:
“I am so proud of what he has achieved, even though I know it wasn’t always easy. Toby has said himself that his days with you and the Palace for Life Foundation has ‘helped me more than my five years at secondary school.’ What you and the Foundation do is so important, empowering our young people to have self-belief and self-worth, when society has previously beaten it out of them. The trip to France will hopefully help Toby believe in himself more as he starts his next step of full-time employment. I know he would like to keep in touch with you and be involved in any future projects with the Foundation, if possible, to help consolidate the positive effects the France trip has had on him.”
Sarah Hoddy, Targeted Intervention Manager at Palace for Life said:
“Toby joined us for a one off experience, and has ended up being a really important part of the Foundation’s work– he is always willing to try new things and push himself out of his comfort zone when asked. When I met Toby, he was quiet and unsure about what he could achieve, but we have really seen him flourish, and I’ve watched him become more and more comfortable with who he is. At the Houses of Parliament, Toby said that he felt like he belonged when he has been working with us, and that is all we can hope for. His love for Crystal Palace runs deep, and its wonderful to be able to bring him into the Foundation in the way that we have.”
Toby’s story shows how one opportunity can spark lasting change. He is an incredible representation of our work at Palace for Life and we’re so proud to call him our alumni.
For more information on one-to-one mentoring at Palace for Life, head here.