Communities in England and Wales to benefit from over £600,000 in funding from Sky Bet… with financial support to deliver projects linked to several EFL clubs

Communities across England and Wales will benefit from more than £600,000 in funding thanks to Sky Bet.

Financial support will come to projects linked to more than 60 EFL clubs, including Sunderland and Colchester, through the first set of grants awarded by the new Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund.

Programs ranging from programs designed to tackle isolation and loneliness to improving fitness and mental health will benefit following Sky Bet’s commitment to invest £6 million over six years.

At the start of the funding in 2023-24, each EFL Club Community Organization was given £10,000 to invest in ongoing programs and develop community initiatives, and the first set of grants has now been awarded, with presenter and Sky Bet ambassador Jeff Stelling assessing bids financing.

The likes of Leeds United who will put more money into their ‘Social Goals’ program to tackle isolation among the over 50s, Morecambe who will buy equipment to run community health and fitness sessions and Sunderland who will continue their The ‘Wear Together’ ‘ project, which aims to increase activity levels for the over 55s, has all benefited from the funding announced on Friday.

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Wycombe Wonderers and Crewe Alexandra have also benefited, funding a coaching course and increasing weekly football sessions at the club for Eastern European migrants and African asylum seekers respectively.

Colchester, meanwhile, run free-to-admission weekly pan-disability football sessions for adults, with more than half of EFL clubs benefiting from funding.

At the launch of the fund in November, former England forward Emile Heskey joined EFL chairman Rick Parry to highlight the success of walking football in Barnsley, with Blackburn Rovers the first to receive their £10,000.

Debbie Cook, EFL Director of Community, said: ‘The funding provided by Sky Bet not only enhances the excellent work already done by our clubs in the community, but creates a legacy that will last for many years to come.

“This commitment from Sky Bet highlights the breadth and depth of the work football is involved in across all our communities and tells the powerful stories of the community members who benefit from these initiatives and programmes.”

Dan Colton, CEO of Sky Bet, said: “You only have to look at the success of programs like ‘Remember the Rovers’ in Blackburn to realize the impact the Building Foundations Fund has and will continue to have for years to come.

‘We are 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.’