Cambridge United will come together with other EFL Clubs on Tuesday 10th 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.
This year, our Community Trust are focusing on two of our events and sessions which take place on the Day of Action.
Firstly, our Kick It out assemblies take place in six schools on Tuesday – but we’re placing a particular focus on our Fen Ditton Primary School assembly, a school five minutes away from the Abbey Stadium. These physically active assemblies have been designed to teach children about different forms of discrimination and how to combat them.
Secondly, our Super Vets session will be going ahead on that day at the Abbey Leisure Centre aiming to fill the void between 35+ veterans football and walking football. Primarily geared for the fitter, quicker players, the small sided format bridges the gap between the two spectrums, catering for those that find the regular vets game a little too fast, and the walking game a little too restrictive.
Sam Gomarsall, Community Trust Manager commented: “The EFL Day of Action provides a fantastic opportunity to highlight and raise awareness for some of the incredible work that we, and other community club organisations, carry out in our local communities 365 days a year. This year, we wanted to highlight the way in which football can make a difference people of all ages and I’m delighted we can play our part in this national event once again."
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.
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.”