Football has remained at the heart of communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Clubs and their charities have ensured that all participants, especially the most vulnerable have remained engaged. We are grateful to our key partners for their continued support throughout this difficult period.
And most importantly, as is the strength of our network, they have also responded to local community needs, with our charities, players, volunteers and fans all stepping up just when their communities needed them the most, going well beyond their normal work to play their part in the response to Covid-19. Here’s just a snapshot of how they’ve adapted and responded over the past 4 months and continue to do so…
Accrington Stanley
- Accrington Stanley Community Trust continued to deliver education programmes online
- Sean McConville and Seamus Conneely led the way with £75 bids for their signed boots as part of the Boot the Virus campaign with all money going to NHS Charities.
AFC Wimbledon
- Social phone calls made to over 500 supporters age 70 and over
- 3,000 food parcels delivered to vulnerable families in Merton, Wandsworth and Kingston in partnership with Dons Local Action Group. Read more here.
- Eighteen-year-old Morgen Brits is part of the 1,000 volunteers for Dons Local Action Group. Read more here
- The Foundation are manning a phone line service Mon- Sat and linking with community partners to source referrals.
Blackpool
- Community Hub for health and wellbeing checks and delivering food parcels to the socially isolated
- Stadium opened as a Coronavirus drive through test site and also for blood tests to be completed
- Continued to deliver Traineeship, BTEC and Degree education programmes and in some primary schools, where staffing has been short and Trust staff are viewed as essential workers.
- Jay Spearing has completed a 100K running challenge in aid of the Darby-Rimmer MND Foundation. Read more here.
Bolton Wanderers
- Bolton Football Club’s CCO are offering 1 to 1 walks for older members of our community, with all walks adhering to the current government guidance.
- Staff making phone calls alongside Bolton Wanderers Football Club staff to season ticket holders who are aged 70 and over
- Offered staff and support to local educational establishments and provided coaching in primary schools for the children of essential workers, vulnerable children and at risk children and young people
- Working with the local community and voluntary sector through Bolton CVS to ascertain Bolton’s community response, assessing what resources are needed and establishing a voluntary response to the crisis.
Bristol Rovers
- Delivery of free school meals and educational learning packs to housing estates and designated drop off points
- Arrangement and delivery of essential food and goods to identified season ticket holders over the age of 70
- Care parcels delivered by 1st team players and community staff
- Bristol Rovers and their Community Trust teamed up with the #WeareBristolKids campaign set up by Bristol City Council to encourage kids to exercise. First team players such as Cian Harris and James Daly show off how they have been keeping fit. Read more here.
Burton Albion
- There were two levels to BACT’s support during COVID-19 on behalf of the Local Authority: Firstly, as a distribution centre for all the emergency food parcels that need to be delivered in East Staffordshire. Secondly, BACT are the VCSE Lead for low level support for people who are self-isolating. Most of the referrals received have been for shopping for people who cannot access on line deliveries or click and collect slots yet have been advised to self-isolate
- The Pirelli Stadium was one of the early testing sites for the virus, initially for pre-booked appointments of NHS and key workers only. The club also donated the facility to the NHS for the foreseeable future, with midwives from Queen’s Hospital Burton offering our patients antenatal and post-natal care within the community
- The Pirelli stadium has also been used by the NHS to deliver important midwifery services. Read more here
- Burton Albion Football Club have donated Easter Eggs to be distributed within the care packages across the coming days, to help try and spread some joy across the Easter period. Read more here.
Coventry City
- Online challenges, tasks, information/guidance and advice sharing for all project participants
- Foodbank delivery across Coventry
- Weekly contact to vulnerable and elderly contacts on our projects Staff cpd opportunities.
Doncaster Rovers
- Education programmes were transitioned to digital delivery
- ‘Home Goals’, an online space to gain health and wellbeing advice and support launched, with 393 participants engaged in first 4 days. The support includes live workouts, advice on nutrition and cooking tutorials. Read more here
- The stadium was used by the NHS as a drive through vulnerable patient testing centre
- Young Rovers fan Millie created a football hamper for an 89-year-old care home resident. Read more here.
Fleetwood Town
- Staff from the Community Trust have been supporting local schools with the delivery of food bags to those children and families who would have been on free school dinners
- The Club and Trust joined forces to provide vulnerable people across the community with essential supplies and a hot meal, straight to their door. Read more here.
Gillingham
- Manager Steve Evans made calls to season ticket holders to check in on their health and wellbeing. Read more here.
Ipswich Town
- A partnership with Suffolk Mind provided advice and tips for fans and the community at the outset of the pandemic lockdown
- The Club donated food and drink to local foodbanks and charities supporting the elderly, vulnerable and the local NHS Trust
- The Club has committed to the team wearing the words ‘Thank you NHS’ on their home shirts when they return to play. Read more here.
Lincoln City
- Became part of the community response team for the City of Lincoln involving deliveries, collections and making phone calls to those most vulnerable
- Delivering virtual coffee mornings for elderly fans from the Extra Time Hubs programme and expanded this service to include calling season ticket holders. Read more here.
MK Dons
- Provided a food larder for community and emergency food deliveries for the community
- Delivered 1-2-1 virtual coaching sessions for community players
- Creation and provision of online workbooks for disabled participants
- CPD opportunities for coaches in the community led by the First Team Manager.
Oxford United
- Oxford United in the Community have teamed up with character Horrid Henry to help share our home-based activity programmes with thousands of families. Fans will be invited to explore the inner workings of the world of Horrid Henry as well as the delights of doing ‘Horrid Homework’ alongside Henry, Peter and all their friends
- Oxford United in the Community offered free coaching sessions for schools that remain open to children of key workers
- 10,000 fabric masks arrived at the Kassam Stadium and staff, including Manager Karl Robinson, volunteered to pack and despatch the masks. Read more here
- Oxford United FC launch NHS version of their home shirt to help raise funds for the NHS Charity. Read more here.
Peterborough United
- Primary School support provided for key worker children
- Players and Management have all contributed financially to send care packages to their vulnerable older supporters. Read more here.
Portsmouth
- Christian Burgess, Pompey Defender and a Trustee of Pompey in the Community co-ordinated a player timetable to assist with cooking and deliveries for Hive, a local partnership of organisations dedicated to the community. Read more here
- Players have now collected funds which are going to support the food parcels and NHS Hospital food supplies locally. Read more here
- Portsmouth in the Community and players are both contributing towards “Pamper Packages” for our disabled fans which will be put together by PiTC volunteers and delivered to fans by the players.
Rochdale AFC
- Engagement phone calls to Dale’s Silver 60s’ & walking football participants
- Mascot Desmond the Dragon’s daily and weekly work outs created
- Assistant Trust manager picked up and delivered scrub and wash bags supporting Hope Citadel which has medical centres in Rochdale, Oldham and Levenshulme.
Rotherham United
- Shopping for vulnerable people, walking pets, collecting prescriptions, moving food for partners around the borough to ensure they are in the right place at the right time
- Visiting traditionally hard to reach areas and care homes supporting the community
- Management staff including Paul Warne and Richie Barker join a video call to help school pupils with their virtual Sports Day. Read more here
- Millers Manager Paul Warne has hosted a number of online Quizzes for fans to raise money for the Rotherham Hospice. Read more here
- First team defender Michael Ihiekwe delivered a special drop off of healthy hydration drinks to staff at Morrisons. Read more here.
Shrewsbury Town
- Live streaming of lessons to individuals and directly through YouTube and Facebook
- Made welfare phone calls to every season ticket holder over the age of 70 years, including offering additional support to those who are most at risk
- Delivered isolation packs to 200 of our most vulnerable fans, including both active elderly and youth engagement packs. The delivery of some packs included to Telford Princess Royal Hospital, Hope House Children’s Hospice and a local schools. This Shrews Family project was very much a joint approach between club and community with the Sam Ricketts (first team manager) and Brian Caldwell (STFC CEO) also making deliveries.
Southend United
- Designed activity worksheets for our elderly participants to keep occupied during isolation, featuring word searches, sudoku and crosswords
- Unconditional Offers made to students – offering unconditional places to all Year 11 students intending to join the Football and Education Scholarship Programme from September 2020
- Directed people to the Southend Coronavirus Action group – initiated by Southend Council – including volunteering opportunities and a helpline for the most vulnerable.
Sunderland AFC
- Tutors developed 15 brand-new free online ‘Isolation to Education’ courses for those who were on furlough or unemployed to learn new skills. Over 100 signed-up within the first few weeks of going live
- Over 8,500 engaged with weekly challenges set via YouTube to encourage people to stay active while staying safe at home
- Staff volunteered at Sunderland Foodbank, working over 240 hours to help deliver food packages across the city
- 50 kids took part in our first-ever virtual holiday courses hosted on Zoom
- Elderly members of our community were supported through regular calls and WhatsApp messages as part of the Extra Time Hub. SAFC director David Jones also reached out to members, personally calling over 40 fans. Read more here.
Tranmere Rovers
- Tranmere Rovers in the Community volunteers delivered over 450 emergency food parcels to local residents who have requested support
- Creation of the ‘Ultimate Rovers Fan’ activity packs
- For easy access, the Community Trust collated a set of amazing services on their website to help their community through the pandemic. The support varies from online support, exercise classes, activity packs, helplines and so much more
- Tranmere Rovers teamed up with Liverpool FC to support local community. Read more here.
Wycombe Wanderers
- Heavy online support for the community with mental health service support
- Club chaplain Benedict Musola and director Trevor Stroud gave their support to the ‘One Can’ Trust foodbank last week, helping to deliver emergency food parcels for families in crisis in the local area
- Akinfenwa has nominated the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust’s Staff Wellbeing Appeal for a donation from EA Sports. Read more here.