Kai Brennan on Harvist estate where he once had free training under Arsenal’s Positive Futures scheme – and went on to become a coach himself [Annabel Staff]

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IT brings joy, drama and occasional anguish to fans all over the world, but Arsenal Football Club isn’t too big to forget about the borough it calls home.

An impact report released by the club said it made a £616million contribution to the UK economy, with nearly 70 per cent of that being spent in Islington.

It said the club is supporting 1,600 jobs and reaches 14,000 mainly local people through various Islington community initiatives.

Speaking on how Arsenal transformed his life, Kai Brennan told how he started out as a young football fan living in Highbury and became a coach with the Gunners’ football and mentoring initiative Positive Futures.

Mr Brennan said: “I remember walking through the Harvist estate with my mum and my twin. Knowing [Positive Futures football training] was free was a huge relief.

“The first session I went to, I just remember being happy in the environment.

Arsenal midfielder Jorginho at an Arsenal in the Community coaching session

“The coaches were great, they were supportive. They recognise you when you’re older too – they check up on you.”

Mr Brennan went on to become a Positive Futures coach himself, and now every week he coaches about 150 children from across Islington, Camden and Hackney.

“It’s crazy. If you told me when I was seven years old, you’re going to be coaching on the estate where you grew up and hung around with your friends, I’d be like ‘nah, you’re dreaming’,” Mr Brennan added.

“It’s a blessing to help the kids out and let them understand that there’s a route through football, and I’m an example of it.

“It’s a bit cliché but, for me, being a coach is being a leader – it’s someone who wants to provide a safe space for young people no matter what. I feel that Arsenal’s the only club I know that has that community spirit.”

As well as Positive Futures, Arsenal runs other community sports projects under the Arsenal in the Community banner, which was first set up in 1985 and now reaches more than 5,000 people every week.

Other sports projects include football for people with Parkinson’s or Down’s syndrome, as well as other initiatives focused on education and employment, like CV workshops and job interview support.

Arsenal has also run a community Iftar – the meal eaten by Muslims at sunset to break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan – in collaboration with Finsbury Park Mosque for the past three years.

The club is also educating young people in Islington about climate change and its connections to football – the carbon emissions created by fans travelling to matches and the energy needed to power stadiums.

Arsenal’s director of economic and social impact Hannah Mansour told the Tribune the effect on the community meant more to her than profits ever could.

Ms Mansour said: “The report is looking at both Arsenal in the Community, in terms of projects we run, and the overall impact of the club – the increased footfall into the borough that brings spending and helps businesses thrive.

“What this shows is that when Arsenal wins, Islington wins. It does make you really proud to work for a club that has community right at its heart.”