Newcastle United defender Kelly: ‘’I owe my football career to foster care’’

Growing up in foster care, shaped Kelly into the person he is today. ‘’It gives you life lessons early on. It moulded me into who I am now and what I stand for. It gives you resilience and strength. It teaches you that life may be hard, but you can push through and get out of certain situations. You’re always able to take something positive from every situation.’’ 

Throughout his childhood, Kelly lived with three separate foster families together with his older sister and younger brother. ‘’It was thanks to my carers that I progressed through the football pathway. They would take me to training, dragging my sister and brother with me. It was a blessing we were always together because you don’t see that very often, especially not with three children of different ages.’’

‘’We had three different families who looked after us. There was a bit of moving around. Like all siblings, we had our squabbles, but that bond between us will not be broken. The three of us are super strong together.’’ 

Moving into different families also came with its challenges. ‘’When we went into a different home the people caring for us had to earn the trust of all three of us,’’ Kelly said. ‘’It was something that was difficult sometimes and I’m not sure, as a kid, I really understood it all. It’s only when you’ve grown up that you think about everything that happened. When you’re older, you know how much those people did for us and all the things they had to contend with. When you take kids in, you don’t know what to expect.’’ 

Being an inspiration

Kelly is extremely grateful to the foster system and wants to be a voice for kids and carers. ‘’I’ve done a fair bit of work with foster agencies in Bristol and the council as well. I’m always an advocate for people to foster. It’s an incredible thing to do.’’

‘’Not everybody is going to come out the other side of being in care, of being thrust into a completely new situation, as well as others, but being able to provide a loving home to someone, that means a hell of a lot,’’ Kelly said. 

‘’I want to be that voice for those kids and the carers too. I want to be an inspiration for kids in that situation. If you focus, if you put the hard work into something you want to do, don’t worry about the situation you’re in, you can push on and make something of yourself.’’

After breaking through at Bristol City and establishing himself as a quality Premier League centre-back at Bournemouth, Kelly is now enjoying his life at Newcastle United. ‘’I know where and what I came from, so I certainly appreciate the life I’m living now more. I know I’m very fortunate to be here. I’m very grateful.’’