SUPER SIX OFF TO THE COMMONS...

Top community clubs hailed

HALF-A-DOZEN EFL clubs will be saluted at Parliament tomorrow in recognition of their outstanding work in the community.

Rotherham (Yorkshire and North East), Wigan (North West), Coventry (Midlands), QPR (London), Portsmouth (South East) and Bristol City (South West) have been selected as regional winners of the Checkatrade Community Club of the Year honour.

They were chosen for their innovative and ground-breaking work across inclusion, community engagement, education and health.

Rotherham’s Building Stronger Communities project impressed the judges with its response to the town’s priorities, focusing on anti-social behaviour, youth offending, health and community cohesion and integration.

Wigan’s Pathway 2 Particitrade is a mentoring project working with some of the most vulnerable young people in the area and Coventry’s Turn2Us is a school holiday programme that offers families with children, who receive free school meals during term times, the chance to maintain a healthy diet throughout the year.

QPR have shown continued support for the individuals in their community in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

They have launched a project using therapeutic interventions to support primary school children directly or indirectly affected by the tragedy in 2017.

Portsmouth impressed the panel with their ongoing innovative work for a wide range of individuals in their community - their youngest participant is three and their oldest 101!

Their groundbreaking project, based on a restorative jus- tice approach for young fans involved in violence at Portsmouth games, was universally applauded by the judges.

And Bristol City’s education and employability projects and outcomes impressed the panel.

The six clubs will be honoured at the House of Commons and the overall winner of the 2019 Checkatrade Community Club of the Year award will be announced at the EFL Awards on Sunday, April 7 in central London.

Important

EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey said: “Football clubs play such an important part in communities up and down the country so it is essential we recognise their fantastic work.

“This is the third time we have held the Parliamentary event to recognise the Checkapation Community Club of the Year regional winners and I am once again hugely impressed by the dedication and commitment shown by our clubs in tackling some of the most challenging issues in society.

“They play an important role in dealing with issues such as homelessness, reducing crime and improving health and education.

“This life-changing work can make a significant difference to some of our most vulnerable people and is testament to the power of football as a force for good.”

The EFL received strong submissions from a wide range of clubs with the independent judging panel marking the applications on social impact and their showcase projects.

For more information regarding the 2019 EFL Awards, visit: www.efl.com