Lincoln City Foundation has been awarded a £10,000 grant from the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund in order to help continue the growth of the charity's Extra Time Hub.
The grant will provide funds for comprehensive staff training to ensure the Extra Time Hub coaches have the necessary skills to address the diverse needs of its participants. It will also be used on equipment to create a safe and accommodating environment.
CEO of the Foundation, Martin Hickerton said: “The programme has a positive impact. A lot of people come along to these sessions each week to socialise, develop their fitness and it really brings the community together.
“People have even said to us it’s the only thing they’ll come to. Particularly after COVID, the older generation were worried about coming out, but the football club was deemed a safe space for them. It’s provided a real lifeline.”
Extra Time Hub participant, Joyce Rimmer said: “It’s a game and people enjoy playing, but it’s the socialising too.
"People enjoy coming and meeting up. I would really miss it if the programme didn’t exist, as long as I can come and enjoy people’s company, I will continue going."
Over 60 EFL club community organisations have received a grant in the first phase of funding, which aims to improve the quality of life within communities through the access to, and quality of, football provisions and initiatives.
Applications cover projects across a range of categories, such as improving local sporting facilities or promoting the physical and social benefits of the game, were considered, and rubber-stamped by a panel of industry experts including Sky Bet ambassador Jeff Stelling last month.
The Building Foundations Fund represents the largest multi-year sponsor-backed fund dedicated solely to community activity and the process is underway to give EFL Community Club Organisations (CCOs) a chance to bid for grants of up to £100,000 to invest in ongoing programmes or to develop new initiatives.
The EFL and Sky Bet agreed a record extension earlier this year that saw the sports betting brand continue as the League’s title partner until the end of the 2028/29 campaign.
The commitment to a community fund was an integral part of the extension agreement. To find out more about the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund with other examples of how the fund is being used, visit: https://m.skybet.com/lp/efl-buildingfoundations-fund.
