Everton top Premiership before a ball is kicked!

Everton’s Football in the Community programme sits at the top of the Premiership, and the players haven’t even returned for pre-season training yet.

The Club’s acclaimed FITC programme is the first Premiership club to be awarded the prestigious ‘CommunityMark’ national standard from Business in the Community (patron HRH Prince of Wales).

The Peoples’ Club now has evidence to prove that Everton are serious about our contribution to our local, national and emerging global communities.

Everton’s FITC scheme has 11 full-time staff delivering football based community activities across Merseyside; these include coaching visits to local primary and secondary schools, football for disabled people (with six disability teams officially representing Everton), Social Inclusion Programme working with many ‘at risk’ youngsters, racial awareness projects, girls football, residential courses and soccer camps.

Around 50,000 children and adults take part in Everton run community activities each year. The Club’s Football in the Community programme has won a number of other recent awards including the FA’s national award for disability football and the Big Issue’s Big Difference Award for socially responsible programmes.

Dave Connor from Everton’s Football in the Community department was presented with the mark at a gala dinner at the Imperial War Museum in Manchester.

“Everton has always worked hard through the Football in the Community scheme, giving something back to our community. The CommunityMark application process has made our operation even more professional, which in turn can hopefully reap additional benefits to local people and the Club itself. It’s great to receive praise for our good work, but the rewards all the staff enjoy most are the faces on the children and adults we work with on a daily basis.”

“We have been telling everybody we are the best for a long time, now you better believe us!’

Supported by the Home Office Active Community Units and the Small Business Service. The CommunityMark is an independently assessed standard open to all small businesses that have a socially responsible approach to their operations.

John O'Brien, Business in the Community North West Regional Director quoted,
“Business in the Community is delighted that Everton Football in the Community are one of the first companies in the Northwest to be awarded the new CommunityMark for their work with disability and social exclusion programmes in Liverpool.”

Click here to see Everton Football in the Community in Action