As part of the English Football League’s (EFL) annual Week of Action, on Monday 16 January, the league launched a new report highlighting the significant role that its 72 Clubs play in supporting communities across England and Wales.
Produced by research experts Substance using data from 2019 to 2022, the report shows that EFL Clubs and their Club Community Organisations, generated more than £865m of social value to towns and cities across the country through ground-breaking community programmes during the 2021/22 season.
This is the first time a social value has been attributed to the work of EFL Clubs as a collective. It represents the estimated savings to public spending and other forms of social value that Clubs and CCOs have delivered in areas including physical health, mental wellbeing, education and employment.
In the second version of the report, EFL Clubs are shown to be responding to the needs of their communities with £101m raised - the highest amount of funding and investment ever made. More partnerships have also been developed (6,744), larger numbers of staff and volunteers deployed (9,922) and more facilities and in-kind support made available to local people valued at over £40.8m.
The reach of community work delivered by EFL clubs is vast and during the 2021/22 season, over 840,000 participants were engaged on EFL Club community programmes, with almost 580,000 hours of community sessions and events.
Updated figures show that 80 per cent of the population (47.6m people) in England and Wales live within 15 miles of an EFL club, a reminder that EFL clubs are important civic institutions that impact the lives of people around the country.
Shining a light on the impact EFL clubs have, today marks the start of the EFL Week of Action campaign, taking place from 16 – 20 January. Launched in 2017, the Week of Action sees Clubs and CCOs from across the EFL’s three divisions showcase some of the most impactful community projects with managers and players joining participants across the country.
Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL, said: “This report provides substantial evidence that our clubs continue to be at the heart of their communities, bringing life-changing opportunities that leave a lasting impact. The need for EFL Clubs to continue as catalysts for social change remains, with an increasing scale of Club community work delivered since 2019. Financial sustainability for EFL Clubs is key to enabling them to continue as a force for good in their communities.”
Liam Scully, Chair of the EFL Trust, added: “We’re immensely proud of the community support delivered by EFL Clubs and CCOs and are thrilled to now be able to put a social value on this good work. We look forward to showcasing some of the most impactful community projects throughout this year’s Week of Action.”
Foundation of Light will also be supporting this year’s campaign, highlighting the impact the official charity of Sunderland AFC makes within the community. Jamie Wright, Foundation of Light Managing Director commented: “EFL’s Week of Action campaign is another important date in the Foundation calendar. "We recognise the importance of playing our part and demonstrating the impact we make within our community to the wider EFL network.
"It also gives us a great opportunity to showcase the fantastic work our partners do with our participants."
Throughout the week, in support of EFL’s annual Week of Action, Foundation of Light will be highlighting some of its work across the charity’s social media channels, further demonstrating how we enable our communities to live happier and healthier lives.
To download a full copy of ‘Measuring the Impact of EFL Clubs in the Community’ report, click here.
For more details on the EFL’s Week of Action, please visit www.efl.com.
A group of students from the Foundation of Light’s scholarship and study programmes were given a unique opportunity to visit Japan thanks to funding from the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.
Foundation of Light PFA Player Ambassador, Aji Alese, and teammate Jenson Seelt marked EFL Week of Action with a visit to the Beacon of Light.
Foundation of Light, Sunderland AFC’s official charity, is thrilled to announce defender Aji Alese as official PFA Player Ambassador.