Whenever Rio Ferdinand needs inspiration, he remembers his mother. Growing up on the Friary Estate in Peckham, south London, Janice St Fort “was always known for helping other people”. “If one of the mums on the estate was in trouble, she would come down and say: ‘What’s going on?’” says the former Manchester United and England defender. “She was a doer – someone that people could lean on.”

Ferdinand is proudly reflecting on the achievements of his foundation, which his mother helped to establish in 2012 and has been taken to new heights since her death seven years ago. Working with disadvantaged communities and aiming to provide opportunities and pathways to employment in a number of fields, the Rio Ferdinand Foundation is estimated to have provided support to more than 10,000 young people from the UK, Ireland and beyond.

“I’ve seen my mum doing it – coming in at mad times, all the hours God sends doing things for other people,” Ferdinand says. “I just see this as the natural progression in my life.”

The foundation started with a fundraiser hosted by James Corden while Ferdinand was with United. “I’d been doing a few things because just like any kid from my area or background, I wanted to give something back, but I didn’t really know how. I didn’t really have the resources or infrastructure to really make a proper impact over time.”

That changed when Gary Stannett was appointed as the foundation’s chief executive in 2019. A qualified youth worker who had worked for Crystal Palace’s foundation, he – with his team – has helped create a pathway into various industries by working closely with some of Ferdinand’s commercial partners such as BT Sport, Aston Martin and Warner Music.

“We realised that we were engaging the kids but not keeping them because they don’t have the opportunity to work,” Ferdinand says. “If we could attach an opportunity to get a job in the industries where we see a lot of kids working, in sports and entertainment, then we have got a really good chance. Now we are branching out way beyond football.”

The schemes arrange work experience and opportunities and encourage young people to take qualifications that will enable them to enter their chosen industry. The fashion label Ralph Lauren has taken on four people who are being mentored on paid internships that are expected to lead to permanent roles.

“I used to walk past shops like that and I wasn’t even allowed in,” Ferdinand says. “So to think that I’ve now got kids that are coming through my foundation that are actually going into the belly of these companies and having an opportunity to get a job, that’s enough for me. Where we are now … I can’t sit here and say I was a visionary but it’s gone beyond where I thought it could be.”

More than 1,200 people greeted Ferdinand and his wife, Kate, when they attended an event at Sligo Rovers in March, with children from both sides of the Irish border invited to play in a football tournament in recognition of their progress with the foundation. Ferdinand was in charge of one of the teams and – as you would expect – took things very seriously. “The competitive energy came out,” he admits. “We won though!”

Darryl Forsythe, the foundation’s programme lead for Northern Ireland and Ireland, says the opportunity for the local community to see Ferdinand was inspiring. “He’s just fantastic with the young people and really engages with them and listens to their opinions. I felt sorry for him in Sligo because literally all day you just heard kids shouting: ‘Rio, Rio,’ looking for autographs and pictures. But he always takes time.”

Nine years after Ferdinand hung up his boots his popularity endures judging by the number of people – including two on-duty female police officers – who ask him for a selfie while the Guardian takes his photo. The 45-year-old says he is busier these days as a pundit for TNT Sports than he was during his playing career but recognises the importance of showing his face at events.

“People can see bullshit or if it’s just a PR stunt,” he says. “I’ve been lucky enough down the years to have some really intimate moments with people who have been through the foundation at various stages. It can be quite emotional. I’ve had people that have broken down or started crying just through pure joy or because of the opportunities they’ve had. That’s the most rewarding part, when you see the impact it does have.”

The Beyond the Ball initiative, funded by the International Fund for Ireland, is doing that. Based in eight regions either side of the border, including Enniskillen, where Ferdinand’s mother’s family was from, it aims to promote cross‑community reconciliation and build trust between communities traditionally divided down sectarian lines by organising football tournaments and workshops that could lead to future employment opportunities.

“Some of the kids have never travelled outside of their areas so it’s kind of groundbreaking in that regard,” Forsythe says. “The areas that we have selected have pretty high levels of deprivation and youth unemployment but have also suffered from interfaith issues between communities where there is a high risk of them being recruited into other activities. This gives them an opportunity to see what is going on in different parts of the country. Football is a brilliant tool for integration and there are some really great kids that have turned into young leaders.”

Ferdinand says: “The cross‑border conflict was something that you heard a lot about when I was growing up so it resonated with me immediately. When you go there, you can feel the history straight away. So to be able to put together a programme that impacts these young people is amazing.”

A team from the foundation has just returned from South Africa, where they delivered a workshop to local children, and they hope to create similar opportunities in the deprived Cape Flats district of Cape Town. Ferdinand says the scope of the work is something of which Janice would be proud.

“This was my mum’s passion. As much as this is my thing, it’s her legacy as well. If I was younger I would hope that someone would be able to reach into my community and give me a hand. How many kids [fall out of education] through lack of interest or financial problems and then don’t know what to do? I was lucky that I had football. Not everyone has that passion or work ethic but it’s about us trying to guide them.”