EFL Day Of Action

EFL Day Of Action

EFL DEMONSTRATES THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOTBALL’S COMMUNITY
WORK DURING 2021 DAY OF ACTION

Today, the English Football League (EFL) will mark its fifth Day of Action, where all 72 Clubs from its
three divisions come together to demonstrate the impact that football has in positively changing
people’s lives.

Throughout the Day of Action, Club players and managers will join participants in a range of
community activities including food bank deliveries, projects to tackle loneliness and mental health,
support programmes for refugees and asylum seekers, initiatives for children living in poverty, and
disability sports sessions.

Despite the financial and logistical challenges that EFL Clubs have faced during the last 12 months,
community work has remained at the heart of football, with Clubs and Club Community Organisations
(CCOs) continuing to provide vital support to some of the most vulnerable people living in England and
Wales.

The importance of football Clubs to their local communities has never been clearer than in the last
year, with millions of people across the nation relying on their local Club for food donations, mental
health and wellbeing support and even transport to and from Covid-19 testing and vaccination sites.
Since March 2020, EFL Clubs have collectively distributed over 1.4 million food parcels, more than
179,000 items of PPE, 22,000 prescriptions and donated over 2,100 laptops and tablets to people
facing technology poverty. Club staff and their players have had in excess of 527,000 outgoing and
incoming conversations with fans and vulnerable people, and over 600 job opportunities are being
delivered for young unemployed people.

There is a real need for Clubs to bounce back from the financial implications of the pandemic in order
to sustain the delivery of these life-changing community programmes. Using the power of football, the EFL is able to engage some of the most vulnerable members of
society to address important issues in the areas of equalities, diversity and inclusion, education,
employment and health and wellbeing. Every season, EFL Clubs and CCOs provide more than half a
million hours of group activity and over 40 million hours of participation.

During the Day of Action, players and managers from Clubs in the Sky Bet Championship, League
One and League Two will join staff and participants from their local areas to showcase some of the
most impactful projects, including:
Lincoln City’s Alex Palmer will be joined by teammates at a local garden area which is in need of
regenerating. Once completed, the project will provide more green space for the local community to
use on a daily basis.
Norwich City’s Tim Krul will make a surprise appearance to children attending the Club’s NHS
Superhero Soccer Schools which have been set up for children of NHS workers at three local
hospitals as a thank you. This project has been funded through £200,000 raised by players and
coaching staff to help with the Covid-19 support effort. Over 300 children will benefit from this activity.
Middlesbrough will be delivering its Football Welcomes activity designed to create welcoming
communities for refugees and asylum seekers arriving in the local area.

Millwall Football Club’s LGBT team wilk take part in a special coaching session hosted by Club
Legend, Paul Robinson at The Den.

Preston North End is helping to bring its multi-cultural community together by educating locals about
the importance of the festival of Ramadan and supporting those fasting with dates, fresh fruit and
water.

Tranmere Rovers will see members of the First-Team squad pay ‘garden gate’ visits to isolated
members of the local community to help cheer them up and check-in on their general wellbeing.

Portsmouth will be using its purpose-built learning facility the ‘Blue’s Kitchen’ to deliver its Holiday
Cook-a-long course, educating young children about the importance of healthy eating and basics for
home cooking.

Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL, said: “The way that our Clubs and CCOs have adapted to deal with the
challenges of the past year is remarkable, responding to the growing needs of their communities
affected by the pandemic while also continuing to deliver critical life-changing programmes in towns
and cities across England and Wales to people who need it most.”

“The EFL Day of Action gives us a platform to step back and take the time to acknowledge the hard
work that our Clubs are doing in their communities every day of the year.

“Community work delivered by football Clubs is without a doubt one of the key mechanisms in helping
to address important societal issues with the aim of building stronger, healthier, active, more cohesive
communities.

“It’s great to see all 72 EFL Clubs, players, managers, staff and participants come together to highlight
the power of football in uniting people and working for the greater good.”

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