Sky Bet and EFL Foundation issues £600,000 grants to communities across England and Wales
Through the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund, more than 60 EFL club-linked projects ranging from fitness programmes to investment in new sports facilities will benefit from new funding
Sky Bet and the English Football League (EFL) have issued a total of £600,000 in grants through the new Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund, set up as part of the new title sponsorship extension agreed in November.
The grants will be given to projects linked to over 60 EFL clubs and will go towards a range of programmes, including improving local football facilities, tackling issues of isolation and loneliness and improving the fitness and mental health wellbeing of local communities.
As part of this round of grants, Leeds United will be putting more money into its Social Goals programme, which is looking to tackle the issue of isolation among the over 50s.
Morecambe is purchasing new equipment to run health and fitness sessions, while Wycombe Wanderers will use the grant to fund level-one coaching courses, with the aim of upskilling and reintegrating ex-prisoners from Aylesbury Prison.
Sunderland was also awarded funding and will continue to finance its Wear Together project as a result, while Crewe Alexandra will increase its weekly football sessions for Eastern European migrants and African asylum seekers.
The Building Foundations Fund comprises a panel of experts from the EFL, EFL Trust and Sky Bet. When the foundation was first launched in November, the Flutter Entertainment-owned operator committed to investing £6m over the next six football seasons as part of its continuing sponsorship of the EFL.
Once launched, the foundation gave each EFL Club Community Organisation (CCO) £10,000 to invest in ongoing programmes or to develop new community initiatives.
Blackburn Rovers was among the first clubs to receive funding, this allowed the club to continue its community support initiative ‘Remember the Rovers’ that provides a social lifeline to those suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia
Sharing his thoughts on the benefits of the funding, Dan Colton, MD at Sky Bet, said: “You only have to see the success of the programmes like ‘Remember the Rovers’ in Blackburn to realise the impact the Building Foundations Fund has and will continue to have over the coming years.
“We’re incredibly proud of the Building Foundations Fund and our work with the clubs across the EFL to breathe new life into the community projects they run.”
Debbie Cook, EFL director of community, added: “The funding provided from Sky Bet not only enhances the outstanding work already undertaken by our clubs in the community but creates a legacy that will last for years to come.
“This commitment from Sky Bet shines a light on the breadth and depth of the work football is involved in across all of our communities and tells the powerful stories of the local community members who benefit from these initiatives and programmes.”