“Football has the ability to change lives” – Scott Minto
The annual EFL Day of Action takes place on Tuesday, as all EFL Clubs come together on one day to demonstrate the impact football can have in positively changing people’s lives.
Ahead of the 2020 EFL Day of Action, Sky Sports presenter and EFL Ambassador Scott Minto spoke of the importance of the EFL network when it comes to impacting local communities, as well as the importance of football in those communities.
“I think the work being done by the Clubs in the EFL is fantastic,” he said. “We always talk about the on-field stuff in football, but actually what goes on off the field from a society point of view is much more important and you don’t realise how impactful it is.”
Minto recently hosted the annual EFL Community Awards at the House of Commons, where the regional Community Club of the Year and divisional Community Project of the Year winners were recognised for their outstanding work in each of their local communities.
Speaking at the event, he said: “Listening to stories of what some of the Clubs do on a daily basis and the lives that are enriched because of that just shows the power that football holds. I think it’s both amazing and inspiring.
“I’m lucky to have grown up and been a professional footballer, something I always dreamt of doing as a child, and to stand here now doing what I do, witnessing what football can do for people and the power that it has in the local communities is truly amazing.”
36.6 million people currently live within a ten mile radius of an EFL Club, a network that proves vital when reaching areas other organisations may struggle to. As such, EFL Clubs have a unique position at the heart of their local communities and are forever using the power and magnetism of the club badge to positively impact people’s lives.
“Football now is not just about what happens on the pitch,” Minto continued. “Matchdays are about so much more than that, they’re a full day event and because of these football clubs people are benefitting all the time.
“I’m a little bit biased, I love football, it’s my number one sport and I think it’s the best sport in the world, but I also think because of its popularity and vast audience it has the ability to change lives and the stats prove that football clubs these days are doing just that.”
In the 2018/19 season almost 900,000 people took part in a range of activities across four key areas; sport and participation, health and wellbeing, education and employability projects and community engagement. With more than half a million hours of group activity delivered across these areas, there really is something for everyone.
“There’s such a wide range of activities available to people who want to get involved – there’s something for everyone. Clubs are literally saying ‘what are people in need of?’ and they’re doing it, making a difference at the same time.
“It’s so fantastic to see. Well done to the Clubs for doing it, well done to the EFL and the EFL Trust for covering it and well done to everyone for making a difference.”
You can keep up to date with all activity across the EFL’s Day of Action by following the hashtag #EFLDayofAction on Twitter.
