Brentford FC Community Sport Trust Celebrate 30 Years

Over 11,000 people took part in Trust's activities last year

Brentford FC Community Sport Trust celebrated its 30th Anniversary and launched its latest Impact Report (pdf) at the Watermans Arts Centre ahead of the home match versus Aston Villa this week.

Guests from Brentford Football Club and representatives from the many partner organisations, including the leaders of both Ealing and Hounslow Councils and the Mayor of Hounslow, were in attendance on Tuesday, to celebrate this important milestone with trustees, staff and participants. The event was hosted by Sky Sports presenters Rob Wotton and Natalie Sawyer. After the event many of those in attendance watched Brentford beat Villa 3-0 at Griffin Park.

Formed in 1987 as part of a joint initiative between Brentford Football Club and the two London boroughs of Hounslow and Ealing, the Trust is now one of the leading community organisations linked to a professional football club. Employing 100 staff and volunteers, the Trust has evolved into an award winning, innovative charity that uses the power of sport to engage its community in positive activity. In 2015-16, over 11,000 participants engaged with the Trust through its broad range of programmes.

At the cutting edge of community initiatives linked to sport and education in Brentford FC catchment areas, in 2013 the Trust embarked on an ambitious exercise to value the social cost savings that could be attributed to the range of projects and programmes they were delivering in this field. The social impact cost saving in 2012-2013 was £8.48m increasing to £13.77m for the year 2015-16. The latest report states an increase in participants by 46 per cent, female participation increasing to 35 per cent of all participants and one third of Trust participants being from areas of multiple deprivation.

The impact report provides a breakdown of how the Trust has achieved their latest impressive results, such as Motivate Hounslow, a three-year programme funded by The Sport England Community Sport Activity Fund. Working with partners Sport Impact and The Mo Farah Foundation the project created regular physical activity opportunities for 1402 male and 851 female participants aged 14-25 in targeted wards across Hounslow.

Phil Smith, Director of Sport England, attended the event and commented: “Motivate Hounslow is a great example of partners working together to deliver sporting activity in those deprived areas that most need it. The impact of the project over the past two and half years in getting young people active has been really strong. This has made a real difference improving people’s lives across Hounslow.”

Ruth Cadbury, MP for Brentford and Isleworth, who was a member of the Trust’s Ride London team in August 2016, said: "Being able to celebrate the anniversary of the Trust is wonderful for me as I've seen their journey from the start. As a young Councillor in Brentford I worked with Lee, the local police and Hounslow Council housing and youth service officers to set up holiday programme keeping young people on Haverfield estate occupied in the school holidays. The Trust have since created a Street Sports programme and now there are an enormous number of sport and activities for young people across West London.”  

Cliff Crown, Chairman of Brentford Football Club, was also in attendance and said: “I am very proud to be Chairman of a Football Club with a Trust that reaches so many people across our surrounding communities. Hearing from the participants how the Trust’s dedicated team of coaches and volunteers have helped them come through challenges they have been faced with as an individual or family creates a deeper understanding of the team’s work.”

Mark Devlin, Brentford FC Chief Executive, added: “It was a privilege to attend and celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the BFC Community Sports Trust. The Trust has come such a long way since its inception as a Football in The Community Scheme. Lee Doyle and his highly dedicated and skilled team now deliver and positively impact so many of our wonderfully diverse community.

“The Trust represents the very best of Brentford Football Club, helping the Club to connect with parts of our community we would otherwise struggle to reach, and demonstrating how the power of sport can so positively influence and affect the lives of so many people, young and old from all walks of life. Their collaboration with our Council and key services is something of which we are all, quite rightly, very proud. Here's to the next 30 years.  “

The Trust also launched its three-year strategy (download pdf) which looks forward to the new Brentford Community Stadium at Lionel Road including a purpose built Learning Zone. The Club and Trust are also strategic partners at the forthcoming new sports hub at Gunnersbury Park being developed in partnership with Hounslow and Ealing Councils.

Brentford FC Community Sports Trust Chairman Ian Dobie said: “It was particularly powerful to hear about the positive lasting effect our programmes have had on participants and their families. As a Board we support with Governance, but are keen ensure that the team can express their creativity and entrepreneurial flair and this is clearly paying dividends.”

The Trust work with an impressive range of partners from the public, private and voluntary sector and currently are launching some new exciting programmes working with The English Football League Trust and Premier League Charitable Fund. There is a strong focus on health, community cohesion, inclusion and education and employment.

Brentford FC Community Sports Trust CEO Lee Doyle said: “The impact report and event, combined with the performance of the Brentford team on the pitch on Tuesday certainly places this in my list of all-time sporting memories. I would like to thank our staff, volunteers and partners for their endeavour and commitment and we are looking forward to the future.”

February 2, 2017