From Participant to Coach: How Foundation 92 Changed Damian’s Life

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“Last week I was working in a Youth Centre discussing crime and one of the kids questioned ‘what do you know about it?’. So, I told them about my past and what I’d been through, so I know how they feel.”

Damian is now a coach at Foundation 92, Salford City FC’s Charity, however he was once on the other side of their provision as a participant and his outlook was very different. Damian had been dealt a rough hand and after being made homeless he began to experience depression. His depression became so intense that he believed there was no way out and one day he said to his mum “I love you, have a good life.” With no intention of returning home, he went to the train station to end his life, but as he tried to do so, a stranger pulled him back and asked Damian what was wrong.  Simply put, Damien replied, “I’m done.”

Damian was invited to Foundation 92’s, 92 Shield programme and this is where the trajectory of his life began to change. The programme provides a safe space for football and conversation for those who have faced various hardships.

On his experience with the programme, he explained: “I love football and so my mental health totally changed where from I was down in the dumps of not wanting to get up in the morning to having something to look forward to.”

The Foundation 92 staff became a support network to Damian that he felt he could turn to at any time.

And now as a full-time Community Sports Coach at the Foundation, this hasn’t changed.

He said: “the Foundation has given me a sense of well-being and family with some of my colleagues, knowing that you can talk to and trust them.”

His progression from participant and coach is something he “can’t believe” and he now hopes he can use his own experiences to help people in his local community through their struggles.

“We do a lot of work in education, so I’ve been involved in helping children that need extra support with their behavioural challenges, so it’s given me an insight into what other people’s lives are like. I can put myself in their situations and give them a bit of guidance and support.

“Most of the things that they have been through, I’ve seen or experienced myself, so we have similar upbringings or backgrounds. It’s about how you put it [experiences] through.”

EFL LAUNCHES ‘TOGETHER – SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES’ TO HELP HOUSEHOLDS DURING COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS

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The EFL has today launched ‘Together – Supporting Communities’ an initiative to support the communities and fans of the 72 League Clubs during the cost-of-living crisis.

The scheme will see EFL Clubs provide community services and matchday offers to help people in challenging economic times and will contribute towards the Government’s ‘Help for Households’ initiative.

In rapid response, EFL Clubs and their respective Club Community Organisations (CCOs) have already rolled out a variety of support to those hit the hardest, with foodbanks, clothing donations and even ‘heat hubs’ providing lifelines to members of disadvantaged communities in England and Wales.

EFL Club examples

  • Bradford City – launching ‘City Hub’ food bank in January 2023, to support families with weekly food packages
  • Bristol City – offering discounted tickets for selected fixtures in January and February
  • Cambridge United – ‘Forever United Café’ runs twice a week and is a warm and welcoming space for people to attend
  • Ipswich Town – ‘FIND a Warmer Community’ the Club will be collecting donations of warm clothing for others to use in the community
  • Leyton Orient – ‘Kids for a Quid’ and ‘Football for a Fiver’ in December at selected fixtures
  • Middlesbrough – ‘Warm Welcome Project’ open to all ages, inviting individuals into the Stadium for a hot drink, warm room, free Wi-Fi and a chance to chat
  • Millwall – weekly coffee mornings, Lions Food Hub, discounted after school and holidays clubs and the ‘donate a coat’ scheme
  • MK Dons – Season Ticket holders can bring a friend for free at a selected fixture in January
  • Rochdale – foodbank service and debt advice support on board its ‘One Stop Bus’
  • Rotherham United – Every Miller Matters, the Club will offer warm spaces and support for families and individuals this winter. Running 3 days a week and open to anyone wanting to come to stay warm, charge their electronics and have a warm cup of coffee/bowl of soup.

EFL partners eBay, Lifebuoy and Papa Johns will also be joining the initiative, by providing ticketing and food offers for the rest of the season.

eBay will be using its partnership with the EFL to allow supporters and people in the local community, who may not usually be able to attend EFL fixtures, to do so through the provision of match day tickets, further showcasing a commitment and drive to bring communities, and EFL clubs within them together. Lifebuoy will also provide tickets to EFL matches, specifically targeting families in need.

Papa Johns is offering all EFL ticket holders 50% off pizza through their Show Us Your Ticket campaign. This season-long campaign aims to boost fans’ matchday experience and reward their loyalty during the cost-of-living crisis.

To find out more and see the full list of EFL club offers visit: https://www.efl.com/supporters/together-supporting-communities/

EFL Chief Executive, Trevor Birch, said:

“Providing a warm stadium for a coffee morning, a regular food bank or clothing collections, ‘Together – Supporting Communities’ will offer real tangible help for those people hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis within our communities.”

“While EFL Clubs support people all year round, we recognise that now more than ever we should come together and maximise the power of our network to support people who are struggling.”

Millwall midfielder and the 2022 EFL Championship Player in the Community, Billy Mitchell, said:

“Having grown up in the area, I’ve experienced first-hand the outstanding community work delivered by the Club and the ongoing commitment it has to supporting local residents during these challenging times.

“I’m really passionate about the work Millwall does and as part of this initiative the Club will be running a number of projects including a Food Hub, discounted after school and holiday clubs as well as our weekly drop in coffee morning.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Young people are using their voice to prevent youth crime in Yorkshire with ‘peer’neering project

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Two teenagers from Yorkshire at the forefront of a pioneering regional project presented to convicted peers to tackle youth crime in the region. Read more

THE EFL TRUST SCOOP UP UK ECOMMERCE AWARD

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The EFL Trust and digital agency Courageous, won the Sports, Leisure and Toys, eCommerce Website of the Year Award at the UK eCommerce Awards for its Official Soccer School website, after being shortlisted alongside Hobbycraft, PING and Prescription Swimming Goggles. Read more

Peter Walker: The journey that the Peer Researchers have been on is wonderful and transformational

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Following the one year anniversary of delivering the Peer Action Collective Programme, we spoke with Peter Walker, Project Manager, who tells us more about the project’s impact. Read more

Lee’s Story: “I honestly don’t know where I’d be without FIT FANS. It’s made me have a much more positive outlook and feel more in control of my life’”

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After losing his parents Lee spiralled into a depression that affected his confidence and self-motivation.

For 6 years Lee retreated into himself, he did very little activity and his mental health was declining, to the point he sought professional help. Daily takeaways and a craving for sugary drinks, coupled with the lack of activity meant Lee’s was unfit, unhappy and overweight.  That was 2 years ago, today a, lighter, healthier, happier Lee has set up a Sunday League Football team and competes in track and field athletics.

It was seeing an advert for Sunderland AFC’s FIT BLACK CATS programme that changed things for Lee. A very anxious and despondent Lee made the brave step to join the programme run by the Club’s Foundation of Light charity. The free 12-week programme is part of the EFL Trust’s FIT FANS initiative, which is run at over 40 EFL clubs and provides those aged 35-65 with an opportunity to make a life-style changes, to help lose weight, get fitter, and lead a more active life.

The fact that the 12 week programme was at Stadium of Light was a big motivation for football fan Lee, he comments, “Training and learning inside of the Stadium of Light was a fantastic experience and so inspiring,”

Thanks to FIT FANS Lee ditched the daily fast-food and learnt how to manage his cravings for his favourite Dr Pepper drink and began changing his eating habits; all of this progress led to him achieving the biggest weight-loss of over 6kg – a feat he never thought he’d reach.

“I honestly don’t know where I’d be without the programme. It’s made me have a much more positive outlook and feel more in control of my life’”

However, the 12-week programme was only the start of the process. FIT FANS is all about making small sustainable lifestyle changes that can be carried forward. As can be seen with Lee’s journey; two year later he has lost another 6kg of weight, is living a totally different life and doing thing he never thought possible.

Lee explained. “It started with running. I hadn’t done any running in almost 12 years, but I was doing three 5-mile runs a week when the course finished. It was the running that sustained me through lockdown. Then when things opened up again, I felt confident and fit enough to play a few casual games of football and I really enjoyed it. There, were quite a few of us that weren’t part of a team and were just playing the odd game here and there. I recognised some of the guys could really benefit from playing more regularly. So, I set up a new Sunday league team. It’s hard work doing all the admin, but I can see the benefit that the guys get from playing and I know from my own journey what a difference it can make – so it’s well worth it”

Not content with one new sport, Lee has also taken up track and field athletics. He explained, “I really enjoyed Athletics in my younger days but really thought I was too old for it now and those day had gone. However, I felt in such good shape, that I thought why not give it a go again? So I did, I was a bit rusty at first but stuck with it and after a few months I was able to be competitive in the sprints and throwing events and so I’ve kept going.”

Lee has also kept up with the healthier eating lessons he learned during FIT FANS.

He says “I’m not dieting and depriving myself of food, but just eating sensibly and balanced. I’ve not totally cut out all the things that you might consider unhealthy, I have them when I feel like it – they are only unhealthy in excess anyway.

Most of all my Mental health is good now. The dark days seem a long way, away. My life is totally different now and It all started with see a Facebook ad for FIT BLACK CATS. So I’d really urge anyone feels like they are in bad place to give it a go because it really can change your life”

To register your interest in your local FIT FANS please complete the form below, selecting your chosen club from the drop down menu

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    Northampton Town Community Trust Wins Top European Award for Tackling Loneliness.

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    Northampton Town Community Trust have been announced as the winner of the prestigious #Morethanfootball Award for it work tackling loneliness.

    The More than Football Award honours the best social initiatives in Europe delivered by a European Club, League, or FA by celebrating the work they do on and off-pitch on a local, national and international level.

    Northampton Town’s winning project was part of the EFL Trust’s ‘Tackling Loneliness Together’ initiative which enabled EFL clubs to play an important and unique role in supporting their local communities when issues associated with loneliness were put into sharp focus at the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    With financial support from DCMS to initially drive the activities and additional funding and support from local partners, EFL Clubs created a range of locally delivered support services. From zoom cookery lessons for widowed men in Derby to Christmas Day phone calls in Wigan and Christmas dinner deliveries in Stoke, the project offered support to over 33,000 people – more than 75% of which were over 65 years old – and over 120,000 phone calls were made to those at risk of becoming isolated.

    Northampton Town FC Community Trust alone supported 1,210 people aged over fifty to reduce the feeling of loneliness and improve their mental health and wellbeing. The impact of the project is wide reaching, and the stories Audrey and Michael outline just how the project has reduced feelings of loneliness and isolation, helped develop new friendships and improved people’s mental health and wellbeing.

    Mike Evans, Chief Executive of the EFL Trust, said: “Football starts conversations, helping people to connect, and we are immensely proud Northampton Town Community Trust and indeed how our clubs put their communities first and providing vital support for those who were at risk of becoming lonely and suffering the effects of deteriorating mental health.”

    The award was handed out during the 18th EFDN Conference in Budapest, Hungary, which assessed not only on the quality of the project but also on the level of promotion and engagement. The attending member clubs at the Conference, voted the Northampton Town Tackling Loneliness project as the best social initiative delivered by a European Club, League or FA.

    Northampton Town Chairman Kelvin Thomas said “We are so, so proud. A huge well done to Phill Smith and all of the staff at the Northampton Town Community Trust as well as Scott Desborough and all of the Trustees for their work and the difference they make to so many lives. This project was a club wide effort, and I am so, so proud of everyone involved. We have always felt this club has fantastic community engagement but to see that work honoured on both a national and international scale makes us all exceptionally proud.”

     

    EFL Trust Website Shortlisted For Prestigious UK Ecommerce Award

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    The EFL Trust is delighted to announce that its Official Soccer Schools (OSS) Website has been shortlisted at the UK eCommerce Award 2022 in the category of ‘Sports, Leisure, Toys Ecommerce Website of the Year’. Read more

    The EFL network have been recognised for their efforts to support youth employment

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    In a new report from the Sport For Development Coalition, the EFL Trust, the EFL and its network of Club Community Organisations have been recognised for its work on ‘providing opportunities’ and ‘enhancing employability’ to support youth employment. Read more

    EFL TRUST AND THE FA TO HELP BOOST THE NEXT GENERATION OF LIONESSES

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    Thousands of young women and girls from across the country will have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the Lionesses, following an expansion of a programme between the EFL Trust and The FA.

    The Talent Inclusion Programme helps identify talented female participants from all parts of the community and will now be run across 54 EFL Clubs. The aim of the programme is to ensure social class, ethnicity and demographics are not a barrier to success.

    The programme aims to create a pathway for young women and girls from local communities, no matter what their background, to full England Women’s honours with EFL Clubs encouraged to develop tailored activity based on their local area. Those that show promise can then referred into The FA Women’s England Talent Pathway and their progress will be monitored.

    Nicol Meredith, Talent Inclusion Project Manager at the EFL Trust, said: “Following the success of the Lionesses at the European Championships this Summer, it is crucial that we continue developing and uncovering the hidden potential of female footballers. EFL Clubs are in the heart of their communities and are actively working areas that need the most help. The Talent Inclusion Programme provides young women and girls in those areas with an exciting opportunity and we are delighted that 54 EFL Clubs will now be part of the programme.

    “We look forward to continuing our partnership with The FA, our EFL Trust network engage thousands of girls on a weekly basis, therefore we have the perfect platform to ensure the talent pathways are easily accessible.”

    In the last two years, 32 EFL Clubs who are already taking part in the programme have made 123 referrals to the FA Women’s England Talent Pathway:

    • One of those referrals has been called up to represent England Women at Under 15s.
    • 19% are continuing to be monitored with two already on national talent camps
    • 34% of players referred are from low social economic communities
    • 16% of players referred are from an ethnically diverse background

    Kay Cossington, The FA’s Head of Women’s Technical, said: “The expansion of this partnership with the EFL Trust is a crucial part of our strategic priority to ensure any girl from any social class, ethnicity and demographic gets an opportunity, the opportunity to develop her talent, to flourish and go as far as she can in the game.

    “Thanks to the EFL Trust’s support we now have 54 programmes with clubs in communities across England, allowing us identify the best talent and place them on a pathway to nurture them, offering those good enough the chance to reach the highest level of the game and the ultimate dream of international honours. We know there is a lot more work to be done but we’re confident this will have a tangible impact on the game and the future of England teams.”

    The EFL Clubs and their Club Community Organisations (CCOs) taking part in the programme will also be supported by a training and education programme managed by the EFL Trust and supported by The FA.

    The group of participating EFL Club Community Organisations are as follows:

    AFC Wimbledon Foundation
    Albion Foundation
    Birmingham City Community Trust
    Bradford FC Community
    Blackpool FC Community Trust
    Cambridge United FC
    Charlton Athletic Community Trust
    Crewe Alexandra FC Community
    Fleetwood Town Community Trust
    Forest Green Rovers
    Hartlepool United Community Sports Foundation
    MK Dons SET
    Morecambe FC Community Sports Trust
    Millwall CT
    Oldham Athletic Community Trust
    Oxford Untied FC in the Community
    Scunthorpe United Community Trust
    Sky Blues in the Community
    Shrewsbury Town FC Foundation
    Stockport County Community Trust
    Sheffield Wednesday Community Trust
    Tigers Trust