Notts County Football in the Community has been awarded the 2016 Professional Club Community Programme of the Year...
Notts County FC Football in the Community (FITC) has been announced as the 2016 Professional Club Community Programme of the Year, at the Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Community Sport and Recreation Awards....
The award, sponsored by the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), saw the club presented with a cheque for £1,000 at a ceremony hosted by HRH The Earl of Wessex in London.
Running for over 20 years, The Community Sport and Recreation Awards celebrate the remarkable work of grassroots sport and recreation organisations in the community.
An independent panel judged the nominations for the Professional Club Community Programme of the Year sponsored by the PFA and selected Notts County FC Football in the Community as the 2016 winner.
The club was recognised for its dedication to use multi-sport and physical activity programmes to give people in Nottingham the opportunity to enjoy both the physical and mental wellbeing benefits of taking part in sport.
For 26 years, FITC have delivered to a wide social, ethnic and cultural demographic, helping create a fairer society in Nottingham. FITC develop a range of bespoke projects, developing under four areas; education, health, social inclusion, sports participation. Their greatest strength lies in their ability to make things happen and the positive actions they encourage through their professionalism and ability to engage even the hardest to reach individuals.
Special populations that benefit from FITC’s work include: children, young people, men and women with mental health issues; individuals in mental health secure units; men and women with working age dementia; obese or overweight children and adults; men and women living with cancer; young people excluded from mainstream education; young people at risk of anti-social behaviour and crime, refugees and asylum seekers and many more exciting areas. FITC deliver mainstream provision and engage people who are not stereotypically associated with a professional football club.
FITC took over the management and operation of Portland Centre (PC), an ailing local authority leisure centre, in May 2014. PC, based in the Meadows, is a highly deprived area of Nottingham, with a BME population of almost 50%. FITC secured the future of the swimming pool for the community, which was a concern locally.
Steve Hill, Community Director at FITC said: ”We are delighted to have been awarded the 2016 Professional Club Community Programme of the Year. FITC is much more than just a professional football club delivering football programmes. We specialise in a range of areas, coaching mainstream sports and physical activity, as well as working with vulnerable people. This is a huge achievement and one that we hope will help us showcase our work to a wider audience, raise awareness of what we do and continue to engage with even more individuals across Nottinghamshire.“
John Hudson, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, PFA commented: “The Professional Footballers Association have been supporters of grassroots sport and Community Programmes dating back 30 years when it established the National Football in the Community Programme based at Professional Football Clubs across the country. Since those early days we have seen the value of sport changing lives and inspiring future generations to participate and contribute in our society and that is why we are sponsoring the Professional Club Community Programme of the Year Award.”