DSActive Football Festivals

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During the 2019-2020 season, DSActive will  run three regional Football Festivals, in the South East, South West and the North. The festivals are aimed at players with Down’s syndrome, whatever their abilities. The aim of the day is for the players to have fun and play matches against other clubs.

Recently, on the 16th November, the South East Football Festival 2019 took place at the Charlton AFC training ground.

We welcomed nine teams to the event and played over eighteen 6-aside matches. For many of the players, it was the first they’d had the opportunity to compete in a match.

Sam, talking about his niece Alan who took part in the festival, said:

“Alan had the best time on Saturday. He was so happy and kept hugging me and saying thank you! He never plays that much football.”

Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) have been supporting the DSActive programme and running sessions for people with Down’s syndrome for over 10 years and everyone feels very welcome at the club.

Charlton Upbeats, a self-funded programme run by CACT for children and adults with Down’s syndrome, has become a firm favourite with Charlton fans.

The Charlton Upbeats players play matches regularly and enjoy trips away with the team.

Terry, Head Coach of Charlton Upbeats, said:

“Personally, I’ve worked on the Charlton Upbeats project for over 10 years now and it is by far the most attached I have ever been to a project.

“We run over 30 in our department alone, that’s purely because it’s like a small family network and we have grown close to not only the players, but parents and carers as well.

“We have seen the Charlton Upbeats lads develop in confidence as players and people and hope that the weekly session over all these years has helped to contribute to that.

“You get to know the families quite well over that space of time and the staff aren’t looked at as Charlton coaches but more as friends.”

To check out the South East Football Festival, Charlton AFC have produced a video of the day which you can watch here.

Upcoming Regional Festivals – open to all players with Down’s syndrome, with or without a club

  • South West, Swindon (14th March 2020)
  • North, Manchester (22nd February 2020)

To find a DSActive football session, please feel free to contact the DSActive Team on on email ([email protected]) or by telephone on 0333 1212 300.

Mind launch ‘Have Your Mate’s Back’ campaign

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The EFL and Mind are now into a second season of a ground-breaking charity partnership which uses the power of football to help improve the nation’s mental health and wellbeing. 

With one in four individuals affected by mental health problems, the partnership focuses on the following areas:

  • Raising awareness of mental health amongst fans and wider public
  • Helping to improve the approach to mental health in football working with partners including the PFA
  • Raising funds to deliver life changing national and local support

One of the many ways that the partnership raises awareness of mental health is through Mind’s logo featuring on all EFL shirts for the 18/19 and 19/20 seasons. The design incorporates the logo into the player’s name on the back of every EFL shirt in the Sky Bet Championship, Sky Bet League One and Sky Bet League Two. This is the first time that a charity’s logo has been incorporated into the shirt design in English football.

In addition, the EFL is working with its network of Clubs and community trusts to promote Mind’s message of better mental health and its services to millions nationwide. The latest campaign asks fans to ‘Have Your Mate’s Back’, by noticing if friends are acting differently, giving them a call or dropping them a text asking if they are ok. Mind and the EFL are encouraging players, fans and all in the football community to get behind the campaign by wearing their shirt backwards, displaying the Mind logo, and taking photos to share on social media.

Watch the campaign video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iOwy4mulaE&feature=youtu.be

Mind is also working closely with the EFL to ensure Clubs and Community Trusts have programmes in place to support the wellbeing of both staff and volunteers that can be put into practice throughout the footballing calendar.

For more information about the services and support Mind can help with, please visit: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/

 

Corey and Daniel want to make a difference!

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  • Tranmere Rovers in the Community host adult disability football sessions four days a week at Prenton Park
  • Two participants who regularly attend the sessions have now become coaches at the junior disability football sessions held at Tranmere on a voluntary basis
  • The pair want to raise awareness and help more young people with a disability play football and have spoken ahead of International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Corey Hayes and Daniel Garnett both hope they can encourage more young people with a disability to play football.

Corey and Daniel regularly attend Tranmere Rovers in the Community’s Adult Ability Counts scheme.

They have both enjoyed the sessions so much, they have decided to share their experiences and become coaches at the junior sessions.

Corey said: “What I would say to anyone interested is come along, and if you’re not confident, you won’t be alone, you’ll be in a group and we will help you grow your confidence.

“On a Wednesday, I help with the younger footballers, so I help work on their passing, shooting, movement. I want to start working towards my coaching badges and hopefully a full-time role will become available.

Daniel continued: “It is a good way of getting to know others and understand each other’s disabilities to try and support each other as much as possible.”

Daniel and Corey were speaking ahead of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which is on the 3rd of December each year. The day recognises that from the world’s population of seven billion, one billion people have some form of disability, that’s one in seven.

Tranmere Rovers In the Community host disability football sessions four days a week from the Recreation Centre at Prenton Park.

Offering a supportive framework of sessions specifically aimed at local residents who have a wide range of disabilities, the TRIC team have been providing disability programmes for over 30-years.

TRIC delivers Ability Counts coaching to U16s every Tuesday, which have become popular with the young people.

Harry Edwards and Alfie Harrison both take part in Ability Counts sessions, and they shared their experience.

Harry said: “I enjoy being with my friends and playing football, we just want to come and play football.

“Faye Jones (Tranmere Rovers in the Community lead coach) is great and we all like playing football, we all know each other, and all want to play football.”

Alfie added: “When I first came two-years ago, I was quite nervous, but I knew that my mates attended and I would hang around with them, but now, we all know each other, and we all get on really well.

“We need to say thanks to Faye for giving us the opportunity to play and you should have a go if you like playing football, as the coaches are really good.”

To find out more about the numerous sessions Tranmere Rovers in the Community host, please email [email protected]

Mental Wellbeing a real winner for Active Minds Participants

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Mansfield Town Football in the Community are delighted to report that the ‘Active Minds’ Project is creating a safe and secure environment for those struggling with social isolation, living with mental illness or living with Dementia.

As Football in the Community celebrates thirty years of Community engagement, they are delighted to be taking in part in the EFL’s Day of Disability, celebrating the excellent results of the weekly ‘Active Minds’ project.

Started in October 2018, the project works regularly with around twenty participants per week, and gives those facing social isolation, suffering from mental health issues or living with Dementia a safe haven to make new friends and enjoy a range of positive activities, including indoor and outdoor sport.

Marking the EFLs Day of Disability today [Tuesday 3rd December], participants and their loved ones have been speaking about the impact ‘Active Minds’ has on their Mental Health and wellbeing.

Carol Wright is the wife of long term attendee Peter and believes the sessions have helped to transform his Mental Health in the fight against Dementia.

She said “Since the group began a year ago he’s only missed two sessions through holiday, it’s his highlight of the week. He gets up a totally different person on a Friday morning and when we go away from here [the sessions] he goes flat again.

“People don’t believe the difference in him so it’s well worth it [attending] – he worked at the club as a steward for two decades and apart from watching the games, this is the main thing in his life.

“That sounds sad as he’s got grandchildren & family, he loves them of course, but this just makes such a difference to him.”

Mick Walker, 80, was diagnosed with a form of mixed Vascular Dementia in December 2018 and has been attending the sessions for ten months – “I really enjoy the company, being with the lads and having someone different to talk to” Said Mick

“The wife and I used to watch the games from the North Stand during our youth, so coming back brings back lots of happy memories.

“Everyone here is trying to help us I’ve made lots of new friends, it’s really good for all of us – all of the staff are brilliant, I really appreciate how they’re trying to help us with the variety of activities they put on.

“It gives us all something to do, something to talk about and really look forward too – coming here means you’re not sat at home shut down”

Norma Walker, Mick’s wife, has been stunned by the difference in the group has made on Mick “He really needs this session to keep his brain active, we met at 16 and have been married 61 years now and it kills me inside to see how the Dementia has taken its toll – he lives for Friday’s and to be honest, so do I, because he lights back up.

“Friday is his day, any other day he doesn’t like and he becomes depressed – he loves it here. It gives him a meaning to get up and come out, and as for me? Well I couldn’t be more grateful that this group exists, I honestly have no idea what I’d do without it”

Macauley Short, Football in the Community’s Disability Inclusion Officer, added “Not every disability is visible and as a community scheme we feel it’s important to highlight the importance of that. Our sessions are designed to be inclusive and engaging, and in both our Active Minds Chat and Sports sessions, we’ve seen a vast change in participants from their very first session.

“It’s OK to not be OK, it’s OK to seek help and that’s exactly what we are here for – everyone who attends feels a part of a family, they feel part of a group who look out for and care for each other.” 

Active Minds is open for anyone living with Dementia, those caring for anyone living dementia, or those with any form of mental illness or suffering from social isolation. Sessions take place at the One Call Stadium every Friday 10am to 12noon and are FREE to attend. Active Minds ‘Chat’ is an indoor session aimed more towards the elderly, unable to do more physical sport, whilst Active Minds ‘Sport’ is an outdoor football based session. For further information, contact Football in the Community, in confidence on 01623 656 920.

 

 

 

‘Every Player Counts’ provides the chance for all to get involved in football

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As part of the EFL Day of Disabilities, the EFL Trust and Wembley National Stadium Trust are celebrating the relaunch of ‘Every Player Counts’, a programme which enables disabled people to take part in football.

A further £0.5m donation from Wembley National Stadium Trust will create new opportunities as the disability football programme moves into its fourth successive year.

There are 10.9 million disabled people in England, accounting for 20 per cent of the total population. Seven out of ten disabled people want to be more active and psychological barriers play the biggest role in preventing people from taking part in sport.

The EFL Trust and Wembley National Stadium Trust have worked together successfully for the past 3 years, to get over 11,000 disabled people into football. 28 Football Club Community Organisations across the country offer the programme, specifically developed for the needs of people in their local community, including both physical and learning impairments. .

As we celebrate EFL Day of Disabilities, EFL Football Club Community Organisations are helping fans to get involved in football, many for the first time, by delivering a wide range of local programmes. The magnetism of Football Clubs and the engagement with fans and the wider community provides a great opportunity for us to reach fans who may not have had a chance to participate in football before.

At Portsmouth, a programme runs for junior amputees, at Colchester, a Downs Syndrome group meet to play and at QPR, people who are deaf or hearing impaired play at the club’s training ground.

Following the first three years, during which more people got involved in the programme than had been initially planned, further funding has been agreed between the parties.

The new funding has been allocated to a mix of new CCO’s alongside some of the original providers with the aim of evolving and expanding provision and sustainability of the programme.

The impact of being able to play football can be highly significant on individuals’ lives as we have seen throughout the past three years. A good example is Ben, who has taken part in the programme at Shrewsbury Football Club.

Paul Evison, Ben’s father said:

“Ben has a muscle wasting condition. His muscles were wasting away. We brought him here [Shrewsability sessions] and he’s had a new lease of life, he absolutely loves it. Shrewsbury Town has given Ben confidence, that’s all we wanted – to get him somewhere where he felt confident, so his muscles wouldn’t waste away. I really believe if Shrewsbury Town wasn’t here and he didn’t do the Shrewsability sessions, Ben wouldn’t be here. This has kept him going. It really is a life changing thing.”

Mike Evans, Director of Operations, EFL Trust said:

 “We are very proud of the first three successful years of Every Player Counts programme. As we move into the next two years, we are pleased to add funding from our own organisation’s charity reserves to expand the reach and opportunities within this programme. We look forward to hearing the many moving stories that we have become used to as the programme literally changes and improves the lives of its many participants.”

Stewart Goshawk, CEO Wembley National Stadium Trust said:

“Every Player Counts has been our flagship programme for the past three years.  The range and quality of opportunities created for disabled people to play football has been so impressive, with participants coming back week after week.  We know the positive impact that football can have to improve people’s quality of life, and through this programme we have seen countless examples.  That is why we are delighted to continue our support for a further two years, with with an additional £0.5m to add to the £1m previously committed.”

 

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

  • The EFL Trust is the charitable arm of the EFL. The EFL Trust was established in 2008 to oversee the diverse and important work that its clubs and Club Community Organisations were carrying out in their communities.
  • The EFL Trust unites the inspirational work delivered across England and Wales by the dedicated network of Football Club Community Organisations associated to the 72 Clubs.
  • EFL Day of Disability aims to bring all Clubs come together and share the positive work undertaken to ensure an inclusive environment for disabled supporters.
  • Wembley National Stadium Trust is the iconic stadium’s charitable foundation, receiving 1% of the venue’s annual income, distributed in grants for community sports activities, locally in the London Borough of Brent, where the stadium is located, as well as around London and more widely across the country.
  • Every Player Counts Clubs across the country are showcasing their work this week – for more information contact Michelle Robbins, Head of Marketing and Communications for EFL Trust on 07966206514 or [email protected].

Every Player Counts Clubs:

Barnsley

Blackpool

Bolton Wanderers

Burton Albion

Cambridge United

Colchester United

Derby

Doncaster Rovers

Exeter City

Fulham

Leeds

Middlesbrough

Millwall

MK Dons

Newport County

Northampton Town

Plymouth Argyle

Portsmouth

Preston North End

QPR

Reading

Sheffield Wednesday

Shrewsbury

Southend

Stoke

Sunderland

Swansea

Wigan Athletic

 

How Beth helped create a space where Bolton’s young people can be themselves.

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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Celebrating LGBT+ youth is a key focus of Bolton Wanderers in the Community.

Bolton Wanderers in the Community’s (BWitC) award winning LGBTQ+ Youth Club in conjunction with Bolton Council’s Youth Service, has been hugely successful in making a difference in the areas of equality, diversity, inclusion and Hate Crime awareness since its launch in May 2018. The LGBTQ+ Youth Club offers a safe space for young people to socialise with friends, meet others they identify with and discuss important topics and issues they may face.

Beth Warriner (Equality Diversity, Inclusion and Cohesion Lead at BWitC) played a key part in setting up and running the weekly Youth Club and is delighted about the positive impact it is making in tackling exclusion and discrimination in the Bolton community.

Speaking to EFL Trust, she said:

“The difference we have made to the individuals who attend the LGBTQ+ Youth Club every week is amazing. Every single person who has been involved has said they have made new friends through attending, some of whom attended on their own initially. We tailor it to ensure that the young people know it is their Youth Club. It’s all about them; they own it, they decide what we do and don’t do – it’s their night. It’s co-designed and gives the young people a real sense of empowerment.”

Beth also believes that the power of the Football Club is vital in tackling areas of Hate Crime, equality, diversity and inclusion in communities.

“The well-known Bolton Wanderers Club badge and the brand of the Football Club is key. We are proud to support national anti-discrimination campaigns each year such as Rainbow Laces and Football vs Homophobia, but we are also able use the attraction of the Bolton Wanderers Football Club brand to reach out to local underrepresented communities and support them directly”.

“In October 2021, our LGBT+ Youth Club participants planned and delivered a Youth Pride event, in partnership with Bolton Octagon Theatre. Over 40 young LGBT+ people and allies attended the event, many of whom we had never engaged with before! We have visited lunchtime and afterschool LGBTQ+ clubs at local Secondary Schools, offering the students and teachers support around LGBTQ+ inclusion, sexual health (through NHS’ local Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Service, The Parallel) and advice on where to seek support online”.

“Our Youth Club participants have also worked together (with support from Greater Manchester Police and Bolton’s Community Safety Team) to create a Hate Crime Awareness training package, which is currently being refined and revamped, to be delivered to young people across Bolton in order to increase knowledge of the importance of recognising and reporting Hate Crime.

One of the LGBTQ+ Youth Club participants, Jaeden, has attended the LGBTQ+ Youth Club since it started in 2018. He became a volunteer and ambassador for the Club, and has recently secured a job with Bolton Youth Service as a Youth Worker. Jaeden said:

“The LGBTQ+ Youth Club has created a comfortable and safe environment, free of judgement, for me to flourish and develop as a person. It’s become a staple in my life and I look forward to it every week”.

Aside from the successful weekly LGBTQ+ Youth Club, BWitC deliver a wide range of inclusive activities and projects to champion cohesion and bring together different communities within Bolton.

BWitC are one of six organisations which make up the locally funded Bolton Unity Project. Along with Bolton Solidarity Community Association, Bolton Christian Community Cohesion, Bolton Interfaith Council, Bolton Council of Mosques and Bolton Hindu Forum, the Bolton Unity Project delivers activities and events which aim to promote and celebrate individuality and diversity across the town. More information on this project, as well as details of their upcoming Bolton Unity Festival on 18th April, can be found at www.Facebook.com/BoltonUnityProject.

 

 

Over 10,000 young people make a difference with EFL Trust

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This week during #iwill week, we are celebrating the #PowerOfYouth in the EFL Trust network.

Our Impact

In 2019, through the NCS programme, over 10,000 young people have volunteered over 130,000 hours of their time making a difference in their local communities across the country.

These hours have amounted to some incredible impact:

650 Social Action Projects

£230,000 fundraised for local charities and causes

158 projects focus on improving the local environment

179 projects tackled isolation and loneliness

144 projects focused on transforming community spaces

330 projects were delivered to raise awareness of mental and wellbeing

Cassie Barnett, an NCS Graduate from Sheffield, was a part of a team of young people on the programme using their social action project to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing.

She said: “It feels great to use our social action project to actually make a difference and raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing in young people and adults and change something that we all really feel needs to be changed.”

Watch highlights of our network’s impact in the video below:

#iwill Ambassador

NCS Graduate, Connor Burleigh, from Doncaster, was recently recognised nationally for his work in the community after being named #iwill Ambassador last month.

Connor joined fifty inspirational youth ambassadors on a high profile national #iwill campaign aimed at encouraging young people to take an active part in their community.

Connor is an EFL Trust NCS Graduate who took part in the life-changing programme in the summer of 2018 with Club Doncaster Foundation.

Since completing the programme he has made a huge difference in the community as part of Doncaster’s Youth Council for a number of years and was awarded the Princess Diana Award for his work on anti-bullying in schools as well as renovating a playground for children with disabilities whilst on NCS.

He said: “NCS opened my eyes and gave me a better understanding of the community I live in.

“It was amazing to be given the platform to make a positive difference through my teams social action project at Rossington’s Family Hub where we renovated the playground for the use of children with disability.

“The role of an #iwill Amabassador is something I am hugely passionate about, raising both the profile of young adults’ potential and also challenging the perception that people have of young adults.”

Watch the video below to find out more about Connor:

Utilita launch Kids & Girls Cup partnership

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Utilita, the Official Title Partner of the Kids and Girls Cup competitions, marked the launch of their partnership with the EFL with a tournament which took place at Brentford FC.

Schoolchildren from Rabbsfarm, Marlborough and St Anselm’s Primary Schools took part in a six-a-side tournament to mark the start of the partnership and celebrate the Kids and Girls Cup competitions.

The event was supported by Brentford FC and the Brentford FC Community Sport Trust, who hosted the tournament. Wycombe Wanderers’ Adebayo Akinfenwa, Brentford FC players Josh Clarke and Joe Hardy and Brentford FC Women’s stars Charlotte Tanner and Nicole Goolab were on hand to coach the teams, acting as mentors for the round robin tournament.

Utilita are one of the UK’s fastest-growing energy suppliers and a leader in the smart meter revolution – installing Britain’s first ever smart meter way back in 2008. 14 EFL Clubs are currently partnered with Utilita, with sponsorship ranging from stadium naming rights to junior retail kits.

Earlier this season, the EFL and Utilita announced the new partnership, which will be in place until at least the conclusion of the 2022/23 season and will see the community competitions renamed as the ‘Utilita Kids Cup’ and ‘Utilita Girls Cup’, respectively.

Over 22,000 schoolchildren take part in the competitions each year, with the aim of representing their local EFL Club, as they battle for the opportunity to play at Wembley Stadium. The Girls Cup Final takes place before the Leasing.com Trophy Final and the Kids Cup Finals during the Sky Bet Play-Off Finals weekend.

In the run up to these Finals, EFL Clubs and their Club Community Organisation’s deliver local and regional stages of the competitions. By encouraging these young people to participate and develop a love of sport, the Clubs and CCOs are helping to deliver the EFL Trust’s overall vision to create stronger, healthier, more active communities, whilst also supporting Sport England’s ambition of creating an active nation by focusing on the benefits sport can bring to people and society.

The competitions have also historically played a part in the development of some now established professional players, with Will Hughes (Watford) and Scott McTominay (Manchester United) having previously represented their schools in the Kids Cup Finals.

Adebayo Akinfenwa said, “I think initiatives like the Utilita Kids & Girls Cup are a brilliant thing and are a must. To give children the opportunity to play the game and have the ultimate reward of playing on that hallowed turf at Wembley Stadium, which is a dream for many kids and adults, is immense.”

Brentford FC Women’s player, Nicole Goolab said, “It’s been great to be down here today coaching the teams and making it enjoyable for them to play football.

“I took part in a similar competition to the Utilita Kids & Girls Cup when I was younger and providing children with the chance to potentially play at Wembley is a once in a lifetime opportunity and an achievement they can hold on to for the rest of their lives.”

As well as the title sponsorship, Utilita will have a portfolio of rights across the Utilita Kids Cup and the Utilita Girls Cup, including digital rights and prestigious access at all EFL Wembley Finals.

The partnership will also allow Utilita to activate within communities nationwide across area and regional Finals of the respective competitions, as well as four newly created football festivals.

“We would like to thank Brentford FC for providing the location for today’s event and to the EFL, for their continued support in what has been an exciting start to the partnership.”

 

Plymouth Argyle’s Changing Room programme inspiring brighter futures

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Mickey McCloskey, who admits he ‘lost 22 years of his life to drug and alcohol abuse’, is using his troubled past to inspire unemployed adults with substance misuse in Plymouth to find work through Plymouth Argyle Community Trust’s Changing Room programme.

Changing Room is one of many programmes that the EFL Trust offers through Department Work and Pensions (DWP) that help people who are facing barriers find work, many of whom with a physical disability or mental health condition.

The 12-week adult education programme is run at football Clubs around the country and looks after the body and mind with a combination of improving employability skills and health and wellbeing.

Employability is improved by teaching key skills such as team building, interpersonal skills, CV writing and money management and the health and wellbeing element of the programme combines two hours of physical health with two to four hours of mental health support every week.

The programme offers participating Clubs the flexibility to tailor their courses to suit local issues. At Argyle, an issue locally with substance misuse was identified and 15 people have so far completed the course since its launch.

Mickey, who is Plymouth Argyle Community Trust’s Health and Disability Officer and has been working for the Club Community Organisation (CCO) for 12 years, hopes to use his troubled past to inspire others on the course to make the right choices and like him, turn their life around.

He told EFL Trust: “I lost 22 years of my life and spent 11 of those years in jail. I’ve been there and know what they [those on the course] are feeling. I know what it’s like to get to that point where you don’t think you’re worth anything and there’s no way out.

“My ‘normal’ when I was growing up was drugs and alcohol; it was gangs fighting other gangs. All of my mates were doing it, so I did it too, just wanting to fit in – you don’t know any different. When you’re in that situation and you’re making bad choices and you can’t see a way out that’s your ‘normal’.

“I can see as I share my story with the guys in the room. They know what I’m talking about. As I was talking at one session about the knock on effects to your loved ones, one guy broke down and said ‘I can’t do this anymore’.

“At first, I thought he was talking about leaving the course. However, it all just hit home, it turns out his Dad was an alcoholic and he’s fallen into the same lifestyle.

“I think this was his realisation moment and he went to complete the course with a new determination. When I came clean, I went along to a coaching course that Plymouth Argyle Community Trust were running and started volunteering. I really enjoyed and kept in touch with the guys at the Trust, and it felt so good to have a routine and a responsibility.

“I’ve been clean now for 15 years, I’ve got a good job and a little boy. This just didn’t seem possible when I was sitting where they [those on the course] are now, but I want to show them that it is possible and that there is a way out.

“The choices I made were all mine, and that’s the message I want to get across. You have to make the right choice, not the easy one.”

To find out more about any courses available at Plymouth Argyle Community Trust, contact [email protected].

To view our story book with many more impactful stories like Mickey’s, click here.

Millers recognised as Sports Upstander at #NO2H8CRIME awards

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Rotherham United were delighted to see the Community Sports Trust honoured with the recognition of winning #NO2H8CRIME’s Sports Upstander Award at last night’s ceremony in London.

Head of Community Jamie Noble was on hand to receive the coveted accolade which saw the Millers recognised for their efforts in the local community to stamp out hate crime.

The high-profile event which was held at InterContinental Park Lane in Mayfair, London on Thursday evening saw other prizes handed out for awards including Parliamentary Upstander, Young Upstander, Business Upstander and the CPS Award.

The Millers, together with the Community Sports Trust wing of the club, are constantly reinforcing the message that nobody should be subjected to any form of hate crime. Our recent home games have been dedicated to reaffirming this message too, with fixtures played in support of the Kick it Out and Show Racism the Red Card campaigns, as well as the Hate Crime Awareness match which took place against Oxford United.

RUCST work closely with a number of local charities and partners who work hard to ensure that hate crime isn’t an issue in the South Yorkshire region and beyond and we are incredibly proud to have been presented with this award.

Speaking following the event in London on Thursday night, Head of Community Jamie Noble expressed his delight at the national recognition of the club’s work on the matter.

“We are honoured to be presented with such a high-profile award and to receive it at such an illustrious event,” he told www.themillers.co.uk.

“As many of our supporters will already know, we have done a lot of work, particularly this season surrounding the issue of hate crime and it is particularly pleasing to see those efforts culminate in us receiving this award.

“It is a privilege to work so closely with all of the people that we do in and around Rotherham around the topic of hate crime and without their support, none of this would have been possible.

“I would also like to thank the first team players and staff, who are always happy to support our campaigns on the matter and help to raise the profile of the important work that ourselves and associated organisations are doing in the community.”