Who we are

For the best part of 11 years, I worked in the community outreach team at Arsenal FC.

I held lots of different responsibilities at the Club, most notably managing the award-winning “Arsenal Double Club” modern languages project, which used Arsenal and football to inspire young people to learn a language.

In February 2021, after 15 years, engaging hundreds of schools and thousands of pupils, the project was suddenly dissolved, which sadly meant I was made redundant.

We are at a critical time in our country.

In the UK, fewer pupils are choosing to study a language at GCSE and beyond. There are fewer opportunities to live, study and work abroad. Incidents of hate crime against people speaking other languages in public are becoming all too regular.

These are some of my motives behind creating Mingalaba which, in case you’re wondering, is a simple greeting in Burmese, and a nod to my family heritage.

I may not wear the famous Arsenal badge on my chest anymore. But I’m still a linguist, with 11 years’ experience in education at one of the world’s biggest football clubs. I’m also a qualified MFL Teacher, most recently working at an all-boys’ secondary school, in South London. And, above all, I still deeply believe in football’s ability to inspire, build confidence, raise aspirations and challenge stereotypes - on and off the pitch.

Steve Eadon; Founder, Mingalaba