Innovative ways are always being sought to deter young people away from crime and for the first time my office is now providing funding for pioneering football-related schemes.

Sport is a productive and fun way of engaging with those who have been involved in antisocial behaviour or crime, or are at risk of being exploited due to their vulnerability.

To stop them spiralling down the wrong path it is vital that they are given a chance to turn their lives around. Rather than criminalising youths, we need to make sure they receive the help they need to succeed in life and contribute positively to society.

Good role models are essential for changing behaviours at a young age which is at the heart of many groups and initiatives I help fund.

Exeter City Community Trust has recently launched a new programme for 11 to 18-year-olds called Change Our Path (COP) which hopes to tackle and reduce youth offending and help engage youths who are not thriving in school.

Referrals to COP are made via schools, police and youth justice services. It is partly being funded by my office with an initial one-year funding grant of £30,000. Our small investment – an example of taxpayers' money being put to good use - enables the resources of Exeter City FC to be accessed by young people who may never get the opportunity to interact with and build positive relationships with our local superstars and their facilities.

Last week I was invited to one of the COP sessions to see first-hand what the scheme is about, how it is helping get young people on the straight and narrow and how we can help keep it going long term.

I was hugely impressed by the commitment of two boys signed up to the programme who shared with me how traffic delays caused by a fatal car crash on the M5 had recently not stopped them from getting public transport to Exeter to make sure they didn’t miss out on a session.

Their enthusiasm for being part of COP was encouraging to see, especially when they got to meet Finnish international and City first team player Ilmari Niskanen. It was interesting to hear him admit that he left school without any qualifications, proving that you can succeed in life without them equipped instead with drive and determination.

Ilmari, like other mentors at the club, are committed to sharing their lived experiences - both good and bad - to help those on the COP programme.

A similar scheme to help prevent criminal exploitation of young people through mentoring and activities is also being provided by Plymouth Argyle. It additionally covers the Torbay area and is partly funded by my office, also though a new grant of £30,000.

Evidence shows projects like the ones being run by the two football clubs can turn lives around and prevent offending but to create change, the person has got to be open and willing to do so. I believe to change our society, we must help our young people succeed by at least giving them that opportunity.