EFL Clubs recognised at Parliament for standout community work

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A number of EFL Clubs and players were celebrated at the Houses of Parliament for their outstanding ongoing work in the community.

As part of the 2024 EFL Awards, divisional winners of the Community Club of the Season and Community Project of the Season were recognised for their exceptional work and outstanding impact in their respective communities over the past year.

Recipients of the EFL Player in the Community Award, which is sponsored by the PFA, were also celebrated in front of guests.

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The EFL Community Awards celebrates the immense power of Clubs in their communities and the important role they play in making a difference to the lives of so many people.

For a long time, EFL Clubs have held a prestigious place in the heart of their respective communities. Engaging with more than 840,000 people per season, providing support 365 days a year, they play a crucial role in positively influencing lives up and down the country.

Hosted by Sky Sports’ Emma Saunders, winning Clubs were honoured at the annual EFL Community Awards – a special event at the House of Commons.

More than 150 representatives made up of guests, Clubs and Members of Parliament were present as winners were celebrated and given the opportunity to showcase some of the unique and outstanding work they are delivering in their respective communities.

People whose lives have been directly affected and positively influenced by this impactful work were also invited to share their personal stories.

EFL Chair, Rick Parry, said:

“It’s a fabulous day from the EFL’s point of view. To hear all the wonderful stories from people who are involved in these community schemes, reminding us all that Clubs are far more than just football teams, they are quite literally the beating hearts of their communities.

“There is so much good work going on having such a wonderful impact on people’s lives and the beauty of today is, it brings that work to life.

“The way I describe it is, in 72 Clubs, we have 72 social entrepreneurs. They are responsive, they are agile, they get things done quickly and effectively and they respond to the direct needs of people in their area. There are a number of underlying themes and Clubs share best practice with one another, but we constantly see so many new ideas and new programmes being introduced that make positive change.”

EFL Player in the Community for the Sky Bet Championship, Will Vaulks, added:

“I think you can argue that Football Clubs are mostly the most important thing in their cities, certainly at the Clubs I’ve played at.

“Clubs have such a responsibility in the community and with that, make such an impact on the local people. They provide jobs and they provide help in so many areas and they do a lot of work to tackle issues that are so hard to tackle, that’s what is great to see.”

Vaulks has won the award twice previously with former Clubs and expressed the importance of players’ presence in the community.

“Clubs can open their doors and bring people in because of the badge and because people support the Clubs, but players have a massive role to play. If players appear at charitable events, a mental health programme, a football session, whatever it may be, it tends to bring more people along. And I think players play a really important role in bridging that gap.

“In my opinion, we have a responsibility as players to dedicate this time to society and we have a duty to be a good role model.”

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Overall winners for each of the categories will be announced and celebrated at the EFLl Awards Ceremony at Grosvenor House, London, on Sunday 14 April.

More information on each divisional winner is listed below.

EFL Community Awards – Divisional Winners:

EFL Community Club of the Season

Championship – West Bromwich Albion

During 2023, the Albion Foundation, the official charitable arm of West Bromwich Albion, engaged with 13,060 participants through a variety of projects and activities in the Sandwell area. More than 21,700 sessions were delivered with 434 per week and over 38 hours of contact time per participant. The ages of participants ranged from one year old at the Mini Baggies football sessions, to 101 at the Hawthorns Hub Memories Group sessions. A key area that the Foundation also prides itself on is the work done in disability sport, with 17% of participants having special educational needs and disabilities. Twenty-three of the Foundation’s 41 teams are disability focused including powerchair, blind football and cerebral palsy football.

League One – Charlton Athletic

In 2023, Chalton Athletic’s Community Trust (CACT) engaged with 25,000 participants, with the work of the Trust having a reported value to society of £49.6million (validated by Greenwich University). CACT’s health staff are integrated into the Queen Elizabeth Hospital discharge team, providing social prescribing and resolving practical issues to speed up patient discharge times and reduce bed blocking – a national Government target. More than 7,400 cost of living support referrals were received from Charton’s Primary Care partners, which lead to CACT making  11,222 outward referrals to support people in need of help. Charlton Athletic continues to remain committed to EDI excellence, with training provided to the Club’s Board and a women’s network established last year.  The charity has also established a young leaders programme to provide a training and development pathway for CACT’s future leaders.

League Two – Swindon Town

Swindon Town has remained committed to its goal of being a constant catalyst for positive change in 2023, focusing not just on football but on leaving a lasting legacy within Swindon. With participants aged over 90, Swindon’s Staying Connected sessions provide a support network for those whose needs might not meet the required standards for social intervention from the NHS or local councils. This year, Swindon also welcomed members of the Ukrainian community to Foundation Park, to help give them a sense of belonging in Swindon and feeling of home during their stay. Swindon’s 2023 Christmas Donation Appeal garnered an overwhelming response, with nearly 200 presents generously donated. These gifts were then presented to charities offering crucial support to Ukrainian refugees.

EFL Community Project of the Season

Championship – Bristol City – ADD Mentor

Bristol City’s ADD-Mentor project is centred around a commitment to supporting the development of a young person’s life through the use of a mentor who helps navigate mentees away from negative influences in their troubled life, find a new purpose and become a positive pillar that gives back to their community. The project sees trusting relationships built between known young people in the community and the mentors (who both have lived experience of the challenges the young people are dealing with) to give them an opportunity to change. Police reports have shown 100% non-engagement with anti-social behaviour with each mentee impacted in year two of the project.

League One – Port Vale Community Cupboard and Lounge

One participant from port Vale stated that ‘if the support Port Vale Foundation offers was in tablet form, then it should be prescribed to everyone!’ The Community Cupboard and Lounge has supported 6,000 visits during the last 12 months of the cost of living crisis. The Foundation provides access to advice and support in areas such as housing, benefits, mental health and employment and aims to be inclusive, compassionate, and practical. The project also works to reduce isolation, reduce reliance on statutory services and provide a non-threatening, non-clinical environment in which people can connect and access services they need.

League Two – Morecambe – Veterans project 

Morecambe’s project aims to reduce isolation of Veterans, as well as those that live alone and are elderly. The project has provided training for veterans of all ages, including employability, first aid, food hygiene, wellbeing and local history. Veterans have been referred into services such as debt management, benefit advice, home fire safety checks, and addiction services. Over 150 unique, individual veterans signed up to the project, with a record number of 72 attendees at 2023’s end-of-year-event. The session provides a bacon butty, unlimited brews and a safe space for veterans aged from 19 – 90 to socialise with likeminded people.

EFL Player in the Community, sponsored by the PFA

Championship – Will Vaulks, Sheffield Wednesday

Will Vaulks has won the award for his strong and supportive connection to the Club’s Community Organisation work and his wider charitable commitments including the Bluebell Wood children’s charity and the role he played in executing The Baton of Hope relay for mental health awarness.

League One – Marlon Pack, Portsmouth

Marlon Pack has been recognised for his keenness to support the wider community of his boyhood Club, his commitment to fan engagement, coaching in the community (including supporting the Academy team in his spare time) and his dedication to one-on-one time with several fans in need of support and special treatment.

League Two – Farrend Rawson, Morecambe

Farrend Rawson is acknowledged for his ability to carry his influence on the pitch into his community work and spread his enthusiasm for the importance of player support into the first-team dressing room. Farrend has supported school projects, the Extra Time programme for the over 60s and at Christmas, organised players and staff donations to buy presents for children at a local hospital.

Sutton United Supporting The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity

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To mark the start of an exciting new relationship between Sutton United and the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, four Sutton United first team players, captain Craig Eastmond, Sam Hart, Louis John and Rob Milsom, visited The Royal Marsden’s Oak Centre for Children and Young People in Sutton earlier this month.

The players were also joined by Rob Milsom’s younger brother Nick, who was treated for Leukaemia at the hospital in 1995 when he was only three years old.

Rob commented: “It means so much to me and my family the work that they do here at The Royal Marsden, especially thinking about my brother Nick who was affected at such a young age and owes so much to the fantastic staff here.”

The players met with more than twenty children and young adults, speaking with them one-to-one and gifting them signed Sutton United shirts.

Club captain Craig commented: “Visits like this are special to us players as well. We look forward to coming back to visit again very soon.”

Louis, Rob and Sam also took part in some fun football games with the children, and the positive impact of the visit for patients was clear to see.

Louis said: “You could see how much it meant to these young kids to have us there visiting from the big smiles on their faces.”

Sam added: “It really brightened up their day. For us players, it feels great to be able to give something back to these kids who have had such a difficult start to life. Everyone was really impressed with Louis’ keepy-uppy and ball balancing skills! He did get nutmegged on the goal line a couple of times!”

As part of the relationship between The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and Sutton United, the club will be offering young patients the chance to be included in the excitement of match day as they walk out with the team as honorary Mascots.

Amy Mullins, Head of Community Fundraising at The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, said: “We are delighted to be working with Sutton United and are really grateful to those at the club who have made this memorable experience possible for these young patients. The club’s support will also help to ensure The Royal Marsden continues to provide the very best treatment and care and develop new treatments that help cancer patients around the world.”

The club will also be launching a special, aubergine-coloured shirt, with £3 from the sale of each shirt to be donated to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity to support its vital work. This will give Sutton fans and the wider local community the opportunity to support this brilliant cause and help to raise awareness of all the wonderful work they do.

This new special edition kit will be worn for Sutton’s home game on 23rd March 2024 versus Accrington Stanley in partnership with O’Neill’s, and could replace the green away kit for the forthcoming 2024/25 season.

A simple love for football: Tawana and Tayana’s journey to the England Talent Pathway

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Tawana and Tayana first fell in love with football aged just 4 after their older brother introduced them to the game. A scenario that many girls with brothers, whether they want to or not have found themselves in from being the goalkeeper to simply being someone they can pass the ball too. However, for both girls their desire to be involved in the game didn’t need to be forced as they soon started mixing it with the boys on the playground at Primary School, they proved themselves to be worthy on any team as they up representing the school and won a cup competition in a mixed futsal team with very little female representation. Once again, a situation numerous girls across the country will be familiar with but this didn’t dishearten Tawana or Tayana.

In fact, it did much the opposite and enlighten a hunger from them to want to join a team. After a chance meeting with Handsworth Girls who were fundraising in their local supermarket, the girls were invited along to training before progressing in to the U9 team where they were huge successful as they progressed through the age groups.

Similarly, to their Primary school days, the girls excelled in their Secondary school team which is where their talent was spotted by Millie Kenyon from Sheffield Wednesday who nominated the girls to attend a England Talent Pathway event in Leeds. The girls attended the event along with Poppy who made up their trio as they competed in a 3×3 tournament which allowed for the event to be fun and for the girls to really show their creativeness. Despite the nerves, Tawana and Tayana were successful in catching the eye of the FA and their progress is now being monitored as part of the FA Women’s England Talent Pathway opens up the possibility to considered for England Youth Teams.

Millie Kenyon  said: “The Talent Inclusion programme has been a great way for us as a community programme to give girls an opportunity to showcase their football, the chance to access this opportunity that wouldn’t be there for them.  Through our referrals this gives local girls who play for grassroots clubs to access the women’s talent pathway.  The girls I referred Tawana and Tayana both twins who have lots of potential and are very talented young players. Both girls attended our EFL Girls Cup last year, out of over 100 girls that attended this school’s competition both of the girls ability stood out.  Through our partnership with the Talent Inclusion programme I knew the characteristics of a player they look for and could see that both girls had shown these characteristics.”

The Talent Inclusion programme ensures that through existing community activities, female participants with potential can be identified and referred to the FA England Women’s Talent Pathway. The programme is specifically run by EFL Club Community Organisations, who engage with young girls from low social economic communities and underrepresented groups, and looks to refer talented players who may not access traditional talent pathways due to social class, ethnicity and demographic.

Not only were both girls’ avid footballers but they also played basketball for Sheffield Hatters as their parents exposed the girls to lots of different sports as they believed that sport is positive, constructive and enables character-building. Eventually, the girls had to decide whether they would pursue either basketball or football, the two sports they flourished in; both chose football.

As they had made that pivotal decision, they would almost immediately reap the rewards of this as they were offered a trial at women football giants Manchester City. With only one of the girls being offered a place in their academy, the offer was turned down and twins stuck together on their footballing journey.

Currently they are continuing to play for Handsworth, but have also recently had successful trials for Sheffield Schools and Barnsley Emerging Talent Centre which will no doubt ensure the girls continue their upwards trajectory in becoming a future Lioness.

A story that simply started with a love and passion for the game has allowed the girls freedom to enjoy the game and to nurture their talents.

Accelerating the progress of Women and Girls in Football

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As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we look at how the network of EFL Club Community Organisations aim to give women in football and sport equal opportunities to succeed, and accelerate their progress in their chosen pathway.

With recognition that women were under-represented across the Football and Sport’s Coaching degree courses that are run at over 40 Clubs in partnership with the University of South Wales, the Female Development programme was established in the academic year of 2021-22 to ensure all women on the course were offered a tailored programme of opportunities to expand their knowledge and confidence with other women from other Clubs.

By ensuring an inclusive environment, with opportunities to network and hear from like-minded professionals in the sport, the programme ensures that the students on the degree course are provided with the opportunity to upskill and build confidence.

Throughout the year they have access to a variety of events that feature female professionals from a variety of roles within sport. This helps give students the confidence to seek out all the opportunities that are available to them.

Speakers to date have included senior members of the EFL Trust, who have shared their experiences of working in sport, from working off the field, to being front and centre on it. They have also heard from Daisy Croker who referees on the FA Women’s National League and the U21s Professional Game Academy League and has been involved in refereeing for the last 7 years, working her way through the ranks.

With coaching being a huge element of the degree courses, Jayne Jackson, EFL Trust’s Wildcats Project Manager provided the girls with best practices and advice on getting involved with their local Club Community Organisations and the Wildcats programme. As a result of this, some of the students have begun volunteering at their local Wildcats sessions.

From Grassroots football to the professional game, Charlotte Healy, Manchester United Women’s Assistant Coach will be a guest speaker next month as she discusses her journey and progression her from role as a community coach at Derby County Community Trust to the pinnacle of English football in the Women’s Super League.

With the opportunity to grow, develop and establish themselves in the industry, it is no wonder the Female Development programme has become a pivotal part in the increasing number of female students on the USW degree courses. With just 12 students in its first year, last year 36 students were engaged in the programme.

Whilst the University of South Wales degree programme creates opportunity for women to coach the game, our CCOs also offer a pathway for Girls to play the game. This is from the very first kick of a ball with Wildcats to the Talent Inclusion programme which helps girls who dream of representing England one day.

The Wildcats programme, in run partnership with the FA, is aimed at young girls aged 5-11 promotes a non-competitive, fun environment for all from those wanting to try football for the first time to girls who just want to play the game with girls the same age as them. This not only promotes fundamental skills required on the pitch but also develops life skills off it from effective communication to the ability to problem solve as part of a wider team.

Whilst only a small number of girls will go on to receive full senior caps at International level, our Talent Inclusion programme, also run in partnership with the FA, ensures every girl has equal chance to do so, regardless of their background.

The Talent Inclusion programme ensures that through existing community activities, participants with potential can be identified and referred to the FA England Women’s Talent Pathway. The EFL Trust’s CCOs work in some of the most deprived communities in England, where individuals and families experience challenges when trying to participate in sport and other activities. Women’s football has become a significant part of CCO delivery and engagement has hit an all-time high, given this, there is a considerable opportunity for potential to be identified and developed in the right environment. In particular, research from The FA has indicated that girls from low-socio-economic urban areas are not progressing into the talent system which is a lost opportunity for both young girls and the England team.

The Talent Inclusion programme is specifically run by over 60 EFL Club Community Organisations, who engage with young girls from low social economic communities and underrepresented groups, and look to refer talented players who, for whatever reason, may not be able to access traditional talent pathways.

It is paramount to the future of England women’s football that the pathway is a system for all. The EFL Trust and The FA are committed to working collaboratively to be creative and inventive to achieve this goal together.