Social housing landlords are coming under increasing pressure to improve the way they engage and involve tenants and residents. Of course digital opens up lots of ways to do this in an online world but we know deeper, more meaningful relationships come from personal interactions and shared experiences. And this is where combining the world of housing and sport, in particular football, can achieve things you never could online.

So, for our first business experience of 2026 we invite you to come and join us as we dive deep into the brilliant partnership between Scunthorpe United FC and Ongo Housing Association.

Where they have kicked off something special, bringing free football to local communities and making the beautiful game accessible to all. The buzz has been incredible, and in a very short time over 1000 tenants and families have accessed football in a way which just wasn't possible before. Combine this with their promotion around mental health support is leading to even more people getting the help they need.

Join us for this immersive experience and learn how you too could engage more tenants and residents especially from those communities who have traditional been hard to involve.

We are welcoming 14 VIP places in the exec lounge and legends lounge for an evening game to meet the people involved in building this partnership.

What will you learn from attending this study visit:

• Understand the key elements of the business model around building community engagement through sport
• What really works in getting groups of tenants, even those who have never engaged with their landlords before, involved in football
• What are the health and wellbeing benefits as well as the relationships that come from this type and engagement
• How do you manage the risks and resources of getting such a large scale programme off the ground
• What are the skills and systems needed to improve the chances of such projects achieving their objectives
• What are the best KPIs and measures to use to demonstrate outcomes from collaborations between two very different community businesses
• And much more

Programme

Starting from 5pm, finishing around 9:35pm

• Day 1: Evening match with SUFC hospitality (Legends Room), including food, Q&A with a club VIP, and an opportunity for networking.

Starting from 9:30am, finishing around 2pm

• Day 2: Understanding the model - Presentations from key partners involved in the project including SUFC, Ongo and representatives from the community who have participated in the programme. Followed by a stadium tour, plus networking and lunch.

Places are strictly limited and are allocated on a first come first save basis. Max 2 collegues per organisation.

Costs

This study visit is free to DIN members as part of your subscription