The English Football League (EFL) are launching their first ever Week of Action on Monday 4 April, which will run until Friday 8 April, and will celebrate each club’s impact within their local communities.
Alongside Town, the other 71 Clubs and Club Community Organisations are set to showcase activity with both players and staff joining participants across England and Wales, including:
- Bolton Wanderers supporting local young adults at risk of offending
- Portsmouth hosting an amputee football session
- Sheffield Wednesday’s programme for families who are in refuge housing
- Wigan Athletic hosting a football session for Afghan refugees
- And, our own programmes within the Joy of Moving national programme
Using the power of football, EFL Clubs and Club Community Organisations (CCOs) collectively invest over £59m in their communities every year, engaging with some of the most vulnerable members of society.
In 2021, EFL Clubs and CCOs were recognised at both the Leaders Sports Awards and Sports Business Awards for the important and unique role they played in supporting their local communities during the pandemic.
Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL, said: “EFL Clubs are embedded in the towns and cities from which they take their name, and this bond is strengthened by the life-changing initiatives they run across England and Wales every single day. The EFL Week of Action is an opportunity for us to celebrate this invaluable work and demonstrate the remarkable difference clubs have on their communities away from the pitch.”
Liam Scully, Chair of the EFL Trust, said: “Clubs’ work in their communities happens on a huge scale day in day out and directly aligns with priorities for the people in our communities both locally and on a national scale.
“The hours that are committed by our Club and Community Organisation teams and volunteers demonstrates an unwavering commitment to improving lives up and down the country and building stronger, healthier more active communities.”