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New EFL Community Director Appointed To Lead EFL Trust

Debbie Cook has been appointed as the EFL’s new Director of Community and will be responsible for overseeing the management of the EFL’s charitable arm, the EFL Trust.

Having worked in local government for 22 years, Cook brings a wealth of leadership experience, previously holding CEO positions at a national health charity and YMCA Humber respectively, before joining Grimsby Town as CEO in June 2021.

Announced at the EFL Trust’s annual conference today (29th November), Cook will also join the League’s Executive Leadership team to further strengthen the EFL and EFL Trust, building on the annual £865m social value contribution that the League’s 72 Clubs make in towns and cities across England and Wales each year.

Trevor Birch, CEO of the EFL, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Debbie to the EFL, bringing with her a wealth of expertise and leadership skills across the sports and charity sectors. I have no doubt that Debbie will make a significant contribution to the League’s Executive team while overseeing operations of the EFL Trust.”

Liam Scully, Chair of the EFL Trust, added: “On behalf of the EFL Trust Board, we’d like to thank our senior team for their unwavering commitment and achievements in managing the charity over what’s been an uncertain 10 months for the EFL Trust. We welcome Debbie to the role and look forward to building on the foundations that have been provided by the network’s outstanding work in recent years.”

Debbie said: “EFL Clubs make a huge impact on communities on a scale which is unprecedented in this country and I’m excited to be joining the EFL as we seek to build on the amazing work that goes on day in, day out.

“It’s been a privilege to witness at Grimsby Town Football Club just how much a club can represent a community and impact the lives of so many people.

“The lessons I have learned during my wonderful period at the club will inform much of my work and I am excited to take on this new challenge.”

Eco pupils and Trust make Ewood Park green

Blackburn Rovers Community Trust (BRCT) welcomed hundreds of eager pupils from across the North West who want to make a sustainable difference to their lives and those of future generations. 
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Blackburn Rovers and FIT FANS has given Scott a second chance at life

FIT ROVERS gave Scott a new positive outlook on his future after a difficult period of mental health issues and substance abuse.

Scott enrolled in the FIT FANS initiative after having to start his life over again at the age of 40 due to drug and alcohol dependency.

Prior to the programme, Scott was unemployed, unable to see his son, and unsure in what direction his life was going to continue but one thing was certain for him and that was that change was needed.

Average weight loss statistics for the FIT FANS programme are impressive and exceed those of many other programmes. On average women lose well over 3kg and men over 5.5kg by the end of the 12 weeks. We also have evidence that lifestyle change and weight loss is sustained over the following 12 months. More than 90% of men and 85% of women lose weight during the programme with many losing a clinically significant amount.  Our data shows FIT FANS helps people to increase physical activity, and reduce sedentary time, leading to weight loss, a significant reduction in blood pressure and improvement in self-reported mental wellbeing measures.

The course’s practical and educational benefits were at the forefront of Scott’s progress in his physical and mental well-being where he learned and implemented a balanced lifestyle regime whilst adapting methods to ensure he was able to manage his mental health. However, the biggest impact on Scott was his ability to meet a whole new group of people without fear of judgment.

He said: “I had lost everything, you never judged or discriminated against me and gave me a chance to come on the course which I’m very grateful for because FIT FANS has given me so much.”

As a result, he was more motivated and positive than ever as his whole lifestyle and well-being were focused on positive environments. On the back of this development, Scott was successfully offered a job as a Community Sports Coach at Blackburn Rovers Community Trust where he hopes to create an impact on younger generations.

He explained: “No words can describe what it means to work for the club I’ve grown up supporting and to try and make a difference to children and young people in the community to hopefully help them not take the path I, unfortunately, fell down.”

Scott’s mental health has, in his own words has ‘improved so much’ and his journey to the position he finds himself in today started at Blackburn Rovers Community Trust.

The life Scott once lived is a thing of the past as he is due to begin a whole new, more positive chapter in his journey with his son back in his life and aims of becoming a primary school teacher, Scott has enrolled on to a university course.

Preston North End embrace their multicultural fan base

Preston North End Community and Education Trust have opened a multi-faith prayer room to allow supporters of all faiths and backgrounds to pray on home matchdays.

The prayer room is situated between blocks E and F on the Invicibles Pavilion and was unveiled for use for the first time ahead of Saturday’s fixture against Derby County.

The Mayor of Preston, Javed Iqbal, was present for the unveiling, as part of the club’s Kick It Out matchday activities to promote equality for everyone involved in football – fans, players and staff, alike.

Supporters in attendance on a home matchday whose ticket is not for the Invicibles Pavilion will be able to access the prayer room by contacting their nearest steward, who will escort supporters to the prayer room every 15 minutes.

The prayer room will be open from 90 minutes before kick-off, when the concourses open, through until full-time – allowing those who need to pray at certain times of the day to leave their seat during the game if necessary.

 

Mayor of Preston open the multi-faith prayer room. Credit: Ian Robinson/ Preston North End. 

Mo Patel – a practising Muslim supporter who volunteered on PNECET’s Ramadan initiative earlier in the year, and has since progressed to the role of casual Community Engagement Coordinator with the Trust – praised the initiative to open a prayer room.

He said: “Some supporters may have had to make a decision between choosing to pray and attending a match during certain parts of the season, due to the different times that their religion may determine that they need to pray.

“We believe that supporters of all faiths should not have to make that decision and we want to continue to break down all barriers that may prevent any of our existing fans from attending matches at Deepdale, while also encouraging members of our local community to show their support for PNE.

“The opening of the prayer room is another step in our continued work with ethnically diverse members of our community and we will continue to strive to make positive changes to make Deepdale the most welcoming and inclusive place as it possibly can be for all fans.”

Mayor of Preston, Javed Iqbal, added: “It’s an absolute pleasure and delight to open this multi-faith prayer room.

“I hope people will use it and it will help to bring more and more people to North End.”

As part of the Kick It Out matchday on Saturday, we welcomed Preston United Youth Development programme participants and their parents to watch the game against Derby County and take part in our half-time penalty shoot out.

Speaking about attending the game, a member of the parents’ group said: “It was an exhilarating experience, I really enjoyed it.

“I was really apprehensive at first but honestly I had a brilliant time. I was conscious about my headscarf but it wasn’t noticed and I’m definitely coming again.”

For more information about the prayer room, please contact [email protected].

 

 

Lincoln City’s Conversation Club helps Quenia succeed in England

Lincoln City Foundation’s Conversation Club has allowed Brazilian native, Quenia to progress her nursing career in England.

Conversation Club is a free initiative hosted by Lincoln City Foundation to aid those who do not consider English as their first language. It was identified as a barrier for those in the local community to feel integrated and part of society and instead left them unsettled and isolated. However, through funding from the National Lottery, Conversation Club can tackle and help irradicate these societal barriers of inclusion.

Quenia joined the classes after settling in Lincoln, a vast World away from her home in Brazil but was understandably reserved when participating in open discussions due to her lack of confidence in conversing in English. As she consistently attended the club, Quenia’s belief and self-confidence continuously rose as she made friends.

In order to ensure this upwards trajectory continued to be nurtured, she secured a voluntary role in a Charity shop so she could regularly practice speaking with customers. All this effort, hard-work and determination meant after 9 months of attending the Conversation Club Quenia was successful in being accepted for a Care Assistant role similar to her profession in Brazil.

As Lincoln have adapted to a new hybrid way of delivery, this service has been made accessible to those far and wide with both in person and online sessions. Consequently, not only can residents of Lincoln attend but even those who reside in countries all over the World.

Stevenage FC become latest club to sign up to USW Football Foundation Degree

Stevenage FC Foundation have teamed up with the University of South Wales and EFL Trust to launch a brand-new foundation degree for aspiring coaches to study a higher education course whilst gaining practical experience out in the local community.

The Foundation’s two-year Foundation Degree programme is a course designed for individuals wanting to attain a university qualification and are passionate about pursuing a career in the football industry.

Students develop the necessary skills, qualities and characteristics that are required to work within professional football club community departments or national governing bodies.

Delivered in partnership with the University of South Wales, Stevenage FC Foundation become one of over 35 clubs across the country to deliver the course including Shrewsbury Town, Newport County and Sheffield Wednesday.

All lectures, seminars and tutorials are delivered in a supportive and inspirational club environment, based predominantly within your own football club via online material. This is supported with residential stays at the University of South Wales campus in Cardiff where students from all the clubs, come together twice a year.

Alongside the academic element of the course, students will complete up to 200 hours of voluntary coaching within the community, alongside the Foundation staff, allowing the students to embed and develop the coaching techniques learnt within lectures.

Through the Foundation’s partnership with the University of South Wales, all students will be enrolled as a student at the university. Students will be able to access the university’s online library, blackboard and learning materials, providing them with the best possible learning platform to excel within.

Head of Foundation, Joe Goude said, “We are incredibly excited about the being able to bring the USW Foundation Degree to Stevenage. This is something we’ve been working on for nearly a year now and we cannot wait to get started.

“We already have a fantastic apprenticeship pathway in place for further education with Sporting Futures Training and this is the next tier of that pathway that will allow those apprentices to progress to a higher education programme whilst continuing to build on their practical experience out in our community.

“This programme has seen great success elsewhere in the country with some amazing examples of what students have gone on to achieve and the Foundation is looking to replicate that success locally, to create a viable pathway for people to gain new knowledge, but it into practice in the local community and ultimately make themselves more employable.”

Prerequisites to Apply:

  • BTEC Level 3 – MPP. A Level – DD
  • Enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
  • Three A*-C grades at GCSE, including English and maths

More details of the course can be found here.

Clubs unite for EFL Day of Action

All 72 EFL clubs and their community trusts will come together on the same day for the EFL’s Day of Action to demonstrate the positive impact football can have in changing young people’s lives.

From Plymouth to Peterborough and Sunderland to Southend, on Tuesday 20th March, EFL clubs across all three divisions will showcase the innovative and ground breaking work they do for young people in tackling some of the biggest issues in society across education, health, community inclusion and participation.

Managers and players from the EFL’s 72 clubs will be attending events up and down the country including projects that target mental health, disability and obesity.

In London, Millwall are running a mental health football tournament being held in memory of one of their players who recently died. Over 100 people are due to take part in the Dwain Inniss Cup with manager Neil Harris on hand to offer his support.

Six first team players from Bristol City will be seeing the innovative work of the club’s Youth Council, a group of young people that are making a big impact in their local area by shaping and delivering Bristol City’s community activities including girls, disability and street football. Whilst neighbours Bristol Rovers are inviting their 16-18 year old disability squad to join the first team for a training session lead by manager Darrell Clarke, followed by lunch with the first team squad.

In Yorkshire, Doncaster Rovers have committed to a whole day of activity, including a special appearance from midfielder Matty Blair, who has fronted the club’s efforts to raise awareness of mental health by drawing on his own personal experiences after the loss of his brother Ross to cancer in August 2017.

In the Midlands, Derby County will be celebrating the success of their cancer recovery programme over the past twelve months, with appearances from former Birmingham City striker Geoff Horsfield and Celtic and Aston Villa midfielder Stylian Petrov, who themselves have been affected by the illness.

There is plenty of activity being held by League Two clubs, with Cambridge United showcasing their Enterprise Project, an innovative new programme designed to help secondary school students develop their entrepreneurial and employability skills. School children in Lincoln will be running the Sport Relief Mile around the pitch at Cecil Park alongside players from the Club to raise money for the charity.

EFL Chairman, Ian Lenagan said:

“Football continues to support its communities seven days a week, 365 days a year through our unique network of Club community trusts.

“Bringing all 72 together on one day for the EFL Day of Action highlights the special role the EFL has in society and our collective ability to make a positive and lasting impact to the lives of millions of people.

“It is fantastic to see so many managers and players across England and Wales coming out in support of the excellent work being undertaken by their own Club right in the heart of their own community.

“There are few sporting organisations that can deliver the scale of innovative and ground breaking activity we do via our network of Clubs across so many important areas, including inclusion, charitable causes, community engagement, education or health.”

EFL Footballers take on NCS Grads

Over the next 2 months, footballers from the EFL will be going toe-to-toe with NCS Graduates to take on the YES/NO game and find out more about NCS.

NCS (National Citizen Service) is a flagship government initiative that has provided 400,000 young people aged 16-17 the chance to take on new challenges, experience exciting activities, make long-lasting friendships and develop vital skills that will support them later in life.

The first footballer in the firing line is Rotherham United defender Ben Purrington who met Casey Holmes, a current member of EFL Trust’s Regional Youth board, and NCS Graduate from Rotherham.

Ben said: “It’s been a pleasure to meet Casey and learn more about NCS and her experience. The opportunities that NCS and Rotherham United offer are great for young people and I urge more to get involved.”

Talking about the YES/NO game, Ben continued: “It’s a lot harder than you think, but it was great fun and I did okay!”

The EFL Trust have been delivering the NCS programme since its pilot year in 2011 and now have a network of over 40,000 graduates. Using the power of football, EFL Trust are in a unique position to publicise the work that NCS are doing during the programme and after. Last year, the social media campaign #NCSMatchDay reached over three million people.

On 15th March, NCS Graduate and now professional footballer Louis Jones at Doncaster Rovers will take on fellow NCS Graduate Holly Dennis. To keep up to date, follow #SayYestoNCS.

To get £15* off NCS this Summer, click here.

EXTRA TIME: ‘It takes years off you! I always claim I’m 29. I’m 87 and I love it.’

Shrewsbury Town in the Community’s ‘Extra Time’ programme is offering people over the age of 50 in Shrewsbury a new lease of life, and you have to look no further than participant Alan Bowers to see the impact the sessions are having on those in the community.

Alan, 69, is a season ticket holder at Shrewsbury Town, but also an active member of the Extra Time programme.

Alan has been a regular participant at the club since it started five years ago, and up until recently was also a part of the Shrewsbury Town in the Community’s walking football team.

Extra Time, is aimed at getting those over the age of 50 involved in sporting activities and socialising, with sessions run every Thursday.

It’s not just limited to football, either. Alan and co find themselves doing a range of different activities each week, and whether it’s hockey, rounders, basketball, walking football or ten pin bowling, there’s something for everyone to get stuck into.

Speaking of the programme, Alan said: ”It’s such a good group of people, and they all get on with one another.

”It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, they just get out there, get some air in their lungs and just do something a bit different.”

When asked how much he has gained since joining Extra Time, he added: ”So much. Making friends, keeping healthy, keeping fit. When you retire, you get to a point of, ‘what do I do next?’

”You can’t go to a pub every day, can you?…Well maybe you can!

”But you don’t want to do that, you want to do something different. We want to do visits, we go to the pantomime every year at Theatre Severn and we have  a trip every year.”

Joining Alan at Shrewsbury Powerleague every Thursday is Irene, 87, who has been part of Extra Time for four years.

Like Alan, Irene can’t speak highly enough of the sessions, and the group that she has become so close and friendly with.

”It’s the best club I’ve ever been to, it really is.” Irene said. ”It’s a laugh from the time you go in, to the time you go out, and everybody joins in.

”It doesn’t matter if you’re any good at it. I am no good at hitting the ball in rounders, the ball goes the wrong way!

”Everybody cares for one another, it’s great! If anybody is off colour or ill, we’ve got out phone numbers.”

For a healthy and youthful lifestyle, Irene insists Extra Time is the programme for you.

”It takes years off you! I always claim I’m 29! I’m 87 and I love it.

”The laughs you have, and the friends you make…A laugh a day makes all the difference.”

To find our more about Shrewsbury Town in the Community’s Extra Time sessions visit: https://www.shrewsburytowninthecommunity.com/activities/extra-time/

USW: A once reluctant Foundation Degree student speaks of endless opportunities

Chanelle McManus, a USW (University of South Wales) Foundation Degree student at Preston North End, discusses the benefits of the education programme and how it’s opened new opportunities to her.

Known as ‘Nel’, the PNE student is a familiar face when Preston North End are out in the community; she is a regular deliverer of a variety of sessions – to providing national curriculum PE lessons in schools to primary school children, to overseeing walking football sessions to the over 50s, and it’s the natural variation and diversity of the job that saw Nel catch the ‘coaching bug’.

“I originally wasn’t going to carry on with education, just look to work my way through working as a casual coach,” said Nel.

“But having heard about the degree and how different it is to other courses with more practical modules, I decided to put myself forward. I’m obviously reaping the benefits now as I’ll hopefully have an extra qualification whilst doing the work in schools I would have been doing anyway.’’

The Foundation Degree that Nel fulfils, ‘Community Football Coaching and Development’ is delivered alongside the University of South Wales in partnership with the EFL Trust.

On the course, students like Nel are predominantly based at the football club’s facilities but will also attend a yearly residential at USW.

The course focuses on all aspects of children’s and youth coaching, football coaching, football development, social inclusion and sports management skills, allowing the student to study all sub-disciplines of coaching and football development.

The two-year course welcomes those who have completed the Level Three programme, as well as those who studied elsewhere such as a BTEC level three or three A Levels.

“Every day is different,” said Nel on working with the Preston North End Community and Education Trust.

“I’ve just come back from a school now and I had 20 kids in the entire school and I’ve never done that before, and later on I will go into a bigger school with more challenging children – every day is different.

“You can work in all sorts here; I do a nursery on a Wednesday then I’ll do walking football on a Friday so I’m literally involved in everything.

“I’ve always played football; I played for Preston North End WJFC up until open age so I’ve always played but it was when I did my work experience with Mel (Brown, Inclusion Manager) in high school where I got the bug for coaching.

“Now, I actually prefer coaching and developing players then playing it myself and I’ve actually given up playing now to concentrate on coaching as I didn’t have the time to do both.”

Nel’s roots of working in the community stem from working with Mel at an early age, but it was working with the Preston North End Community and Education Trust that saw her find out about the education opportunities that Preston North End provides to post-16 students.

She added: “I’ve enjoyed it after my first year so far. It’s very independent which is what I like as I like to go away and do it all in my own time and base it around my practical work.

“I’d certainly recommend the course but you’ve got to be committed and have a love of football to make the most of it.

“Because the course is independent, it’s easy for students to come onto the course and just not bother and not take the wonderful opportunities on offer, so you have to be committed.

“I make sure I go out of my way to take advantage of all the experience offered here. I do the walking football, I don’t need to do that but I took it upon myself to do that so I think you should just go for it and take advantage of the opportunities available.”

Nel is now looking at progressing from a casual coach into a full-time role at PNE or a similar capacity at another football club, a typical exit route that the degree provides.

“Hopefully there will be an opening here, told Nel – “Just so that I can continue working here, but in a full-time capacity and just keep doing what I’m doing. I love what I’m doing now, but I want to do it full-time eventually.

“I’ve always been a PNE fan so that’s always been a bonus. I’ve been given the opportunity to work match days and I’ve met the players and the manager whilst doing the birthday parties so that’s always a bonus for me.”

To find out more about Preston North End Community and Education Trust visit: https://www.pnefc.net/PNECET/

To find out more about the USW ‘Community Football Coaching and Development’ course visit: https://www.efltrust.com/communityfootballdegree/