EFL Day Of Action to celebrate impact of clubs in their communities
EFL Clubs will come together on Tuesday 10 March to highlight the positive impact football has in changing people’s lives and the work taking place to tackle some of society’s biggest issues.
Across the Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two, events will be held by Clubs on EFL Day of Action to showcase the very best programmes and activity they deliver in a number of important areas, including diversity and inclusion, education, and health and wellbeing.
The impact of the work carried out by EFL Clubs and Club Community Organisations (CCOs) is unparalleled, with more than half a million hours of group activity delivered and over 40 million hours of participation each season.
During the 2018/19 season, almost 900,000 people took part in a wide range of activities across key areas, with Clubs and CCOs receiving over £60 million of direct project funding.
The EFL Day of Action aims to unite Clubs and CCOs on one day to celebrate and highlight the impact they have in their communities, bringing together the most unique projects and programmes being run across England and Wales.
Managers and players from the EFL’s Clubs will be attending events up and down the country on Tuesday to pay special visits to see participants in action and to provide their support to various projects.
For example:
· In the Sky Bet Championship, as part of their Foundation Week to celebrate their 10th anniversary, Cardiff City will host participants of their Bluebirds Disability programme at their first team training session. Last year, players donated a day of their wages to the Foundation and the Bluebirds programme.
· QPR’s Angel Rangel will join a food delivery to local hostels and homeless shelters with Club partner City Harvest, who use surplus food from various London locations and provide for those in need.
· To celebrate the success of the EFL Trust’s Fit Fans programme, Doncaster Rovers, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United and Bradford City will all come together at the Keepmoat Stadium to host a football festival with over 40 participants.
· In Sky Bet League One, Bristol Rovers will showcase their partnership with St Peters Hospice Charity, which offers the Club the ability to engage with patients suffering with various forms of cancer.
· In Sky Bet League Two, Port Vale are hosting a full day of activities, showcasing their impact on people in their community including breakfast clubs, careers events, mental health groups and walking football.
Five EFL fixtures will also take place on the evening of the EFL Day of Action, with Clubs further supporting the day with warm-up t-shirts and in-stadium assets.
These are just a few examples of some of the fantastic work due to take place during the EFL’s Day of Action by EFL Club Community Organisations – the largest network of sporting charities in the UK.
EFL Chairman, Rick Parry, said: “Our Clubs have always had a unique position in the heart of their respective towns and cities and it is important that we celebrate the work they carry out, which improves lives and tackles some of society’s biggest issues on a daily basis.
“The recent study commissioned by the EFL shows that Clubs’ work in their communities is happening on a huge scale and starts to place a real value on this work, providing further insight into the impact of programmes provided.
“The hours committed by staff and volunteers at Clubs and CCOs, as well as the support from players and managers, demonstrates a remarkable commitment to improving lives up and down the country.”
