The power of football to support positive change in society will be demonstrated on a grand scale on March 20 as the EFL Trust’s Day of Action takes place.
All 72 clubs from the English Football League (EFL) will showcase the work they are doing in their local communities, including projects focused on key issues such as education, health, community inclusion and participation.
Managers and players from the clubs will attend events up and down the country including projects that target mental health, disability and obesity.
Some of the events set to take place include:
Millwall running a mental health football tournament in memory of one of their players who recently died. Over 100 people are due to take part in the Dwain Inniss Cup with manager Neil Harris in attendance.
Six first-team players from Bristol City will be seeing the innovative work of the club’s Youth Council, a group of young people that are making a big impact in their local area by shaping and delivering Bristol City's community activities including girls, disability and street football.
Derby County will be celebrating the success of their cancer recovery programme over the past 12 months, with appearances from former Birmingham striker Geoff Horsfield and Celtic and Aston Villa midfielder Stylian Petrov, who themselves have been affected by the illness.
Bristol Rovers are inviting their 16 to 18-year-old disability squad to join the first team for a training session lead by manager Darrell Clarke, followed by lunch with the first-team squad.
Doncaster Rovers have committed to a whole day of activity, including an appearance from midfielder Matty Blair, who has fronted the club’s efforts to raise awareness of mental health by drawing on his own personal experiences after the loss of his brother Ross to cancer in August 2017.
Cambridge United will be showcasing their Enterprise Project, an innovative new programme designed to help secondary school students develop their entrepreneurial and employability skills.
EFL chairman Ian Lenagan said: “Football continues to support its communities seven days a week, 365 days a year through our unique network of club community trusts.
“Bringing all 72 together on one day for the EFL Day of Action highlights the special role the EFL has in society and our collective ability to make a positive and lasting impact to the lives of millions of people.
“It is fantastic to see so many managers and players across England and Wales coming out in support of the excellent work being undertaken by their own club right in the heart of their own community.
“There are few sporting organisations that can deliver the scale of innovative and groundbreaking activity we do via our network of clubs across so many important areas, including inclusion, charitable causes, community engagement, education or health.”
To find out more, visit www.efltrust.com or follow the hashtag #EFLDayofAction on Twitter.
