Nine young Collingwood Football Club players went 'inside' at the Parkville Youth Residential Centre - playing sport and engaging with young detainees.

The community visit has been arranged by YMCA Victoria which provides daily support to every young person inside the Victorian youth justice system.  The Parkville Youth Residential Centre is for young offenders aged 10 to 14, with the AFL players playing volleyball and spending time talking with the young boys inside.

The visit is part of the Collingwood Football Club's commitment to mentoring its young players, and to supporting community initiatives, and is one of a few visits that have taken place due to Senior Coach Mick Malthouse's role as Patron of The Bridge Project.

The Bridge Project is a YMCA community-led initiative that aims to prevent young offenders from returning to custody, particularly during the first of release when up to 66% are likely to re-offend, by providing training, employment and mentoring. After 18 months, none of the men who have gone through work placement have re-offended,

First and second year CFC players making the visit were Kevin Dyas, Luke Casey-Leigh, Ben Reid, John McCarthy, Toby Thoolen, Brad Dick, Jaxson Barham, Lachlan Keeffe, and Brent Macaffer. They were joined by Collingwood coaches Alan Richardson, Gavin Brown and Paul Licuria.

• Visit the Bridge Project website for more details about the program.