The innovative ‘Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered’ programme has been awarded new funding which will enable it to reach out to more families online.
A grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, awarded to Women in Sport who co-ordinate the scheme, will support the delivery of 60-minute online live sessions, the creation of virtual online communities to support participants and access to equipment packages.
The funding will ensure the programme can adapt to the challenging times that families are facing across the UK, especially considering the restrictions that many parts of the country are facing because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A statement from Women in Sport read: “We know Covid-19 has further exacerbated the inequalities that exist across society, and we know families from lower socio-economic groups are at greater risk of digital exclusion, so we aim to break down barriers and provide accessible opportunities through the provision of digital and technological resources for families to be able to re-engage with community activity.”
Throughout 2020 six football club community departments have been delivering the programme: Foundation of Light (Sunderland); Middlesbrough FC Foundation; Stoke City FC Community Trust; The Albion Foundation (West Bromwich Albion); Fulham FC Foundation and Leyton Orient Trust.
The Daughters and Dads project is run in partnership with the University of Newcastle (Australia), Fatherhood Institute and the EFL Trust, with National Lottery funding from Sport England.
The project replicates a programme which was designed by the University of Newcastle, Australia to help families get active with their children, specifically targeting the relationships between dads and daughters.
