Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil has been named as Foundation of Light’s Community Champion by the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) for the 2022-23 season.
The PFA Community Champions Award aims to raise awareness of the great support that players provide to their club's community activities during the campaign.
Neil has publicly backed our Small Change Big Difference and Kick the Habit campaigns, and further demonstrated his support after attending the Foundation’s summer holiday courses in September, where he enjoyed a kickabout with participants before posing for photos and signing autographs.
After being presented with the award, Neil said: “I am delighted to receive this award – it means a lot.
“Coming from the region, I know how much the club means to the supporters and it’s great to give something back to the community. The Foundation of Light do some incredible work and it’s great to play a part in that.”
Jamie Wright, Foundation of Light managing director added: “With Dan being from the North East and previously experiencing our programmes while growing up, it makes it that extra bit special for him to get this award; he knows what impact the Foundation can have on the families that we work with and he can appreciate the importance of the role that the football club has in the community.”
SAFC Ladies defender, Grace McCatty, also picked up the award, following another season leading by example for the Lasses.
McCatty attended the Beacon of Light in December to hand out medals for the Foundation’s World Cup event, which was followed by another visit last month to show support to local schools who were competing in the Premier League Primary Stars tournament.
Becoming Community Champion is a feat McCatty is incredibly proud of. She said: “For me it’s a huge honour and privilege.
“As footballers, we have the opportunity to use our reach beyond the pitch itself and this is a great recognition of that. The chance to actually better the lives of people because of who we are as footballers and for me it’s a massive honour to be recognised for that.”
McCatty continues to be a fantastic ambassador for the women’s game, with the former Bristol City and Durham player using her influence to inspire the next generation. She added: “The Foundation does some incredibly life-changing work, not just across Sunderland but the wider area.
“The fact I can be recognised as a small of that is an incredible privilege. Our lives as footballers aren’t just about what happens on the football pitch and that’s what the Foundation does, it uses the power of sport for good.”
Foundation of Light would like to congratulate Dan and Grace for their respective awards.
As Sunderland AFC celebrate Founders' Week, celebrating the 145-year history of the club back to its foundation in 1879, we take a look at the history of the Foundation of Light - the club's official charity.
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