Foundation of Light is joining forces with Sunderland AFC to take part in EFL Community Weekend, shining a light on local community heroes.
Across the last two weekends, the EFL, EFL Trust, and the 72 clubs and their community organisations share the inspiring stories of people who have made a difference in their local community.
Sunderland AFC’s community champion will be James Stanness, who has become an advocate and passionate volunteer of the club’s charity after the Foundation helped him through a difficult time.
During Friday night's match with Hull City at the Stadium of Light, the Foundation of Light will be showcasing their Game of II Halves programme, a ground-breaking initiative that raises awareness around mental health issues and suicide prevention.
A team of ambassadors will be in the matchday Fan Zone at the Beacon of Light ahead of the game, promoting good mental health and suicide prevention messages. They will also take to the pitch before kick-off for a pitchside presentation.
Across the period, clubs, managers and players will mark the incredible work that community staff and volunteers deliver 365 days per year, while participants from community programmes will be honoured by special visits from players and matchday activities.
As part of matchday activations, fans will get the chance to hear from participants that have had their lives changed or even saved by their Club’s community work and find out more details about the range of projects and ways to get involved.
Other community heroes and projects that will be recognised include:
Trevor Birch, CEO of the EFL, said: "Community remains a fundamental part of the EFL and its seventy two clubs’ identity, so we are delighted to launch the latest strand of activity in this area – the EFL Community Weekends.
"The work undertaken by Clubs has a hugely positive impact on the participants of the various programmes and the towns and cities where people live.
"Football continues to reach parts of local areas that others simply cannot and successfully addresses challenges linked to health, wellbeing, education and employment alongside helping to keep communities connected. We look forward to celebrating this incredible work in front of match-going fans over the coming two weekends across our network."
Lesley Spuhler, Foundation of Light, CEO added: "This is a great opportunity to showcase our work and acknowledge our participants and staff. Unfortunately, the North East has the highest suicide rate in England, so our Game of II Halves programme plays an integral role in sharing important messages around wellbeing."
The EFL Community Weekends build on the success of the recent EFL Week of Action in November – where the League and its Clubs shone a light on the significant impact Club community work has on towns and cities in England and Wales, valued at over £865m a season in the latest community impact report.
During the 2021/22 season, EFL Clubs deployed a workforce of almost 10,000 (of which over 4,000 are volunteers) to support community activities, delivering in-kind support of over £40m and more than 120,000 hours of free or subsidised usage of community facilities to benefit the lives of those living in the local community.
For more information on the EFL Community Weekends and the impact of EFL Club community work please visit www.efl.com
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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.