Today marks the start of the English Football League’s (EFL) annual Week of Action (6 – 10 November) where all 72 member Clubs unite to highlight the impact they have on their communities as a collective.
Almost 48,500 appearances have been made by EFL players over the last three seasons and following a week where Wanderers' players attended the Junior Whites Halloween Party and visited the Club Shop for two signing sessions, Jack Iredale will also visit Bolton Wanderers in the Community's Wellbeing Hub this coming Thursday.
EFL Clubs support hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people all year round, with the demand continuing to rise from challenges including the current cost of living crisis. And throughout the week, we will continue to share and celebrate the incredible work of Bolton Wanderers in the Community.
As evidenced in the EFL’s most recent community impact report, more than 840,000 participants engaged in EFL Club community activities over almost 580,000 hours during across the season. In the same period EFL Clubs delivered over £865m worth of social value to towns and cities across the country and generated more than £101m for community investment.
Trevor Birch, CEO of the EFL, said: “The EFL is about two things – great football competitions and supporting communities 365 days a year – and our annual Week of Action highlights so clearly the strength and breadth of the community work clubs deliver.
“Every week players and managers across the League take time away from the training pitch to get actively involved in their Clubs’ community work, acting as role models and inspiring the next generation. Through the Week of Action campaign, we’re able to give Club community work the prolife it deserves, sharing the remarkable stories of those whose lives have been changed, and in some cases, saved through the work of their local Club.”
Cathy Abraham, CEO of the EFL Trust, said: “We’re immensely proud of the ground-breaking work our Clubs and Club Community Organisations provide, and the unique ability of the network are supported to deliver local impact on a national scale. The investment Clubs make in their communities through these programmes is testament to the value they bring to people’s lives.”
Click here to download a copy of the ‘Measuring the Impact of Clubs in the Community’ report and to find out more about the EFL Week of Action visit www.efl.com.