COMMUNITY: United score highly in Community Trust report

Carlisle United are celebrating recognition of the community value its activities bring, as revealed in a recent EFL report.

Click HERE to read that report.

The national study “Measuring the Impact of EFL Clubs in the Community” analyses the impact and social value of each EFL clubs’ work in the community, and the results are impressive.

Perhaps most impressive of all, the report revealed that in 2021/22, a total social value of £1,907,855.47 was generated by the projects and programmes delivered to the communities of Carlisle United.

In 2021/22:

  • 120 partnerships were established and maintained across the season. For 2019/20, 95 partnerships were maintained, and the figure for 2020/21 was 94.
  • 20 staff worked to support the club’s communities. Of these, 11 were employed in full time roles, seven were employed part time and the remaining two were hourly paid.
  • 1,603 match tickets were distributed with a value of £20,000.
  • 3,909 individual participants were engaged in community-focused sessions and events;
    • 26% of participants were female.
    • 09% of participant were from ethnically diverse communities.
    • 27% of participants had a disability or long-term limiting illness.
    • 04% of participants were from the 20% most deprived areas in England and Wales.
  • 317 player engagements were facilitated during the season, with 85 made in support of wider community engagement work, focusing on education and health support, social inclusion, anti-racism and inclusion for women and people with disabilities. Total value of £185,000.

During the past three seasons, 4,117 community sessions and events were delivered (2,372 in the most recent season) and over 7,241 hours of delivery (4,183 in 2021/22).

Chief executive Nigel Clibbens said: “We are very proud that these programmes have made such a great contribution to our wider community, generating over £1.9m of social value.

“Through the Community Sports Trust the power of the football club name, badge and our standing in the community positively impacts the lives of our local people. This reduces the social and economic costs for local authorities, the health services and national government.

“When people say community football clubs are important and valuable and need protecting, this report details why – it’s not just about on the pitch, on a Saturday. 

“Too often this role and its impact is taken for granted and undervalued. So much more could be done. We also need civic support to prosper, to be able to do more and, in turn, help make a difference to the place people live – that is good for everyone.”

James Tose, CST manager, said: “So much good work is delivered daily to our community through innovative programmes around Education, Inclusion, Health, Wellbeing and Sport.

“Our staff inspire people to participate, to develop, and to achieve their goals with all this being powered by the club badge.  

“The ‘EFL measuring the impact report’ has been a fantastic opportunity to show the value of all the good work that goes on at Carlisle United and the impact we have in the local and wider community.”

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Background

In 2022, 144,430 people lived within 15 miles of Carlisle United and 124,715 lived within 10 miles.

To gather data for the study, EFL clubs and CCOs were provided with an online data portal into which they could submit key data relating to the following themes:

  • Income, funding and expenditure relating to community initiatives, support and engagement
  • Other types of in-kind support
  • Staffing and volunteers
  • Community partners
  • Facilities with community usage
  • COVID-19 responses
  • Player engagements with communities
  • Projects and programmes and other community initiatives and events
  • Participant outcomes
  • Qualitative impact
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