Tuesday 19th March marked the EFL Day of Action, where all 72 EFL Clubs came together to highlight the work undertaken to tackle some of society’s biggest issues.
EFL Clubs across the Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two each hosted events designed to showcase the very best of their work to tackle a diverse range of social issues, from homelessness and mental health, to community cohesion and the battle against plastic pollution.
Up and down the country, managers and players from the EFL’s 72 Clubs attended events to pay special visits to participants and turn their hand to some of the activities taking place throughout the day.
At Tranmere Rovers, Captain and Keeper Scott Davies along with David Perkins made an appearance at a Women’s Walking Football session. The Over 40s team train every week at the Prenton Park Recreation Centre and a number of the regular attendees first came to the group after going through bereavement and mental health issues. It has now grown to one of the most popular Community sessions and the ladies were delighted to have some expert substitutes on their side for the afternoon.
Goalkeeper Davies said: “It’s nice to take a break from training and come down to the community centre to see what everyone is getting up to and how much fun they’re having. It really has been great fun, me and Dave got totally into it despite not being able to run properly!
"The ladies are all so lovely and welcoming and at the end of the day these are the people that help fund the club and pay our wages so it was great to be able to give something back to them for a couple of hours.
"Ever since I was young, football and sport have been the number one thing to bring people together in my eyes and it’s great now being able to give a little back to the community. Being able to do all that and have fun today as well has been fantastic.”
This is just a small sample of some of the fantastic work that took place during the EFL’s Day of Action by EFL Club Community Organisations - the largest network of sporting charities in the UK.
The EFL and its Clubs invested £80m in communities in 2018. EFL Chief Executive, Shaun Harvey said: “The EFL Day of Action brings together all 72 Clubs to highlight the special role they play in enhancing the lives of millions of people around the country. “The scale of ground-breaking projects across our network of Clubs continues to grow year-on-year and their delivery is integral to our aims of improving lives in a range of areas including inclusion, homelessness, education and health.”
Jenny is one of the regular atendees at the Tranmere Rovers Over 40s Womens Walking Football, talking about the day she said, “I love Walking Football because it’s really good fun and great exercise, it’s an added bonus that it takes place at the football club I know and love.
"I have supported Tranmere for over 30 years so I now feel like I am part of the Club I’ve grown up with.
"It was great to see Scott and David come down today, we are such an inclusive group so we are more than happy to welcome anyone. I think they enjoyed it even more than we did, even if Scott did have to play in his socks!”
To keep up to date with Tranmere Rovers in the Community’s current projects and sessions, follow the TRIC social media accounts (@TranmereFITC) or email - community@tranmererovers.co.uk.