THE incredible impact made by Burton Albion in the community has been revealed by a new impact study.
As the EFL prepares to celebrate its annual Day of Action, which highlights the work of all its clubs and community trusts, it has released new figures that show the scale of the impact made by all its members – including the Brewers.
Each year, Burton Albion Community Trust reaches a minimum of 13,601 unique participants providing 6,726 hours of engagements to different groups. The trust comfortably delivers over £1m worth of community activities each year.
The football club itself spent £169,861 on community-related initiatives and the Burton Albion first team squad was actively involved in 747 community activities in the 2018/19 season including anti-racism initiatives, disability programmes and matchday experiences.
Burton Albion Community Trust has a range of facilities at its disposal including a 3G pitch at the Pirelli Stadium and a community hub in the town. These facilities provided subsidised access to the local community to the value of £140,700 per year.
BACT employs 38 full-time staff and 11 part-time employees dedicated to working on community initiatives. In addition, there are five full-time staff employed by the football club to work on community related projects.
There are also 100 hours of community engagement undertaken by club coaches.
The result is a diverse range of projects across sport and participation, health and wellbeing, education and employability, disability and fan engagement.
All of this will be highlighted on March 10 on the EFL Day of Action when clubs come together to highlight their impact in their communities.
BACT Head of Community Matt Hancock said: “We have always spoken about the positive impact the club and trust has on the community but thanks to this study by the EFL we now have the hard facts that show just what a difference we make – not just economically but directly on people’s lives.
“None of that would be possible without the full backing of the football club and the Chairman Ben Robinson and without the hard work and dedication of all the staff involved.
“We are also very fortunate to have a manager in Nigel Clough and a group of first team players who place community involvement right at the top of what they do for the football club.
“We look forward to showcasing all of that on March 10 as we join the EFL Day of Action.”
Burton Albion Chairman Ben Robinson said: “Community has always been at the very heart of everything we do at Burton Albion and we are delighted that through the power of football we are able to make such a great impact.
“The football club is fully behind everything the trust is trying to achieve and we can now see what a massive difference is being made.”