Throughout the season we have engaged with people of all ages and backgrounds through weekly activities and one-off events, find out more about some of them below.
August
PL30 Community Captain – To help mark the Premier League’s 30th-anniversary celebrations, Bradley Bayliss was named as our Community Captain in recognition of his incredible work in the local area, supporting our Community Engagement team to deliver a host of provision, including Walking Football, Sporting Memories and PL Kicks.
September
Induction Week at Blackpool FC Sports College – The fun-filled first week gave the students the opportunity to experience what studying at the stadium will be like, during this time they had the chance to get to know their new tutors and new students through a variety of activities.
Launched FA Weetabix Wildcats girls’ football sessions – FA Wildcats sessions for girls aged 5-11, are designed to be an introduction to football for many but also act as an extra training session for those girls who already play football. Sessions run on Wednesdays 5-6pm in the sports hall at Unity Academy and cost £4 each week.
October
Launched Get Vocal – The group for men to turn up & talk runs on Monday evenings from 6-8pm in the North Stand Community Hub at Blackpool FC Stadium. There is no need to register, you can just turn up and talk. The group aims to provide a safe space for men to come together and talk to peers, in a non-judgmental setting.
November
EFL Girl’s Cup – This year’s EFL Girls Cup had 100 girls taking part in what was our biggest Girls Cup to date. 13 teams entered the competition on the day with teams from the following schools attending.
EFL Kids Cup – On the morning of England’s first world cup group game against Iran, we hosted our World Cup-themed annual EFL Kids Cup tournament. The event took place at Stanley Park on the 4G facilities and was attended by over 150 pupils from 19 schools competing in the prestigious event.
Supporting the town through the cost-of-living crisis – We provided immediate support to people and communities by providing emergency food parcels and other essential items, to tackle short-term food poverty, relieve the pressure of putting food on the table and ensure fewer people go hungry.
With financial support from Blackpool Council and Simon Sadler’s Segantii Capital Management, we opened up the doors to Bloomfield Road and operated Warm-Up Hubs to provide families and those socially isolated and vulnerable with a place to keep warm, socialise and have access to free WiFi, coffee, biscuits and hot food.
December
Christmas Campaign – Over 72 hours, Blackpool Football Club and the Club’s Community Trust collected, wrapped and distributed gifts to local Blackpool children who were at risk of not receiving a present on Christmas Day. Funds from the original Christmas Campaign launched in 2020 have meant the Football Club have been able to gift 4,568 presents over the last three years.
January
New Facility announcement: Aspire Sports Hub – We were delighted to announce an exclusive community usage agreement has been signed with Fylde Coast Academy Trust and Aspire Academy, for evening and weekend use of the school’s sports facilities. Both the indoor and outdoor sports facilities, previously known as PlayFootball, will now be managed by the Community Trust under the title ‘Aspire Sports Hub’, with an initial plan for community activity to take place from February 2023.
February
Show Racism the Red Card Event – We welcomed 120 pupils from 13 local schools, taking part in the three educational workshops, covering Racism, Hate Crime and Anti-Discrimination with the aspiration that the pupils would share what they have learnt from the day with their peers in the school assembly.
PL Inspires Challenge – We welcomed cohorts of Y9 pupils from our five partner High Schools to take part in the PL Inspires Challenge local heat. Pupils from our partner Academy schools took on the PL Inspires Challenge in the Matthews Suite. This year’s challenge reignited its focus on the very pressing issue of climate change and protecting our planet.
U11 Premier League Primary Stars tournament – We held our annual Premier League Primary Stars (PLPS) U11’s Girls Tournament at Stanley Park. The tournament is a key event to help us support and engage football for girls across the town. It is designed to create a positive approach to increase female participation and enjoyment of football in a skilled and competitive environment. This year was our biggest ever tournament attended by over 160 girls from 19 local primary schools.
March
Launched Football Fans and Betting (FFAB) – We are recruiting men to join a new eight-week programme for football fans who would like to learn how to change their relationship with betting. The FFAB programme will increase your knowledge of the betting industry and the tactics they use and give you skills and techniques to manage your betting better. We will run a 90-minute group session each week at Aspire Sports Hub. Each session will provide information and discussion on betting with other men like you. You will also get a chance to do some exercise with the group if you want to.
April
Partnering with Liontrust – LionTrust is a new principal partner and the front-of-shirt sponsor for the Girls’ Emerging Talent Centre for the 2023/24 season.
Family Hubs Returned – Following our break for Easter, we restarted our Family Hubs on Tuesday 18th April with a new venue and start time. The Hubs run on Tuesday and Thursday from 4-6pm in the North Stand Community Hub at Bloomfield Road Stadium. We have activities, crafts, gaming consoles, an area to complete homework and something to eat. The Family Hubs are free and open to anyone if adults accompany children.
Emerging Talent Centre Mid-Season Trials – Following the successful launch of our FA Emerging Talent Centre earlier this year, we will now be running mid-season trials to identify talented players to join our programme for the rest of the season! The elite programme is completely free to attend and forms part of the England Lioness Talent Pathway.
Throughout the 2022/23 season, thanks to Blackpool FC’s ticket sponsor, Logo Logo, we have been able to invite 1,600 of our participants and their families to attend Blackpool FC home games throughout the season.
If you’d like more information on anything included, please visit our website www.bfcct.co.uk, call us on 01253 348691 or follow us on social media!