Both of this week’s sides are extremely active in their respective communities, keep reading to find out everything you need to know about the great work of Aberdeen FC Community Trust (AFCCT) and Burnley FC in the Community (BFCitC).

AFCCT was established as the official partner charity of Aberdeen FC in March 2014, with the vision “To provide support and opportunity to change lives for the better” throughout the North-east?

Did you know…Since the introduction of AFCCT just 4 years ago the charity has gone from strength to strength with a team which started with 5 members of staff has now grown to 40-50 staff and nearly 80 volunteers at certain times who have dedicated more than 12,500 hours of their time?

A testament to this dedication from the volunteers is the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services which was presented to the charity earlier this month in recognition of its outstanding work with communities in across the North-east.

The award, which was created by Her Majesty to mark the Golden Jubilee in 2002, recognises the outstanding contributions made to local communities by volunteers’ groups and is only available to charities operating for more than three years, making AFCCT one of the youngest recipients!

This award follows hot on the heels of Europe’s Best Community and Social Responsibility Programme Award which AFCCT received for the Trust’s Dementia Friendly Programme at the European Club Association awards in Geneva last year.

Attracting more than 100 participants each week, AFCCT’s Dementia Friendly Programme includes activities designed to increase mobility and social inclusion, as well as reducing isolation and anxieties for those living with Dementia.

During the 2017/18 season AFCCT launched a Youth Ambassadors project to help give young people a voice in their local community, giving them the chance to gain vital qualifications, work experience and volunteering opportunities.

The participants were the focal point of the programme and got to shape their own experiences with support from AFCCT through training courses relevant to their own journeys with the aim of increasing knowledge and confidence.

As well as having a significant focus on developing and increasing the wider community engagement, AFCCT has significantly increased football participation in the area, catering for children aged 3 upwards, people living with disability and individuals from ethnic and religious minorities.

This work has been done in close partnership with other like-minded groups and organisations, involving participants of all ages and AFCCT now engages with more than 17,300 participants each year across 60 programmes and initiatives.

Burnley FC in the Community (BFCitC) is the multiple award-winning, official charity of Burnley Football Club.

The mission of the charity is to use the power of the Clarets as a force to inspire, support and deliver positive change to communities across East Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

Did you know… BFCitC was founded four and half years ago and at the time, the charity had just three members of staff. BFCitC now employs more than 80 people who are delivering over 35 community projects on a daily basis in the communities surrounding Turf Moor.

A fantastic amount of £2,601,794 was invested into communities by BFCitC over the last year and the charity engaged with more than 27,000 individuals across its key areas of work in sport, education, health and social inclusion.

In the last year alone, 9,082 school pupils have been involved with BFCitC’s Premier League Primary programme, 2767 young people have taken part in football coaching, 145 senior citizens engage with programmes such as Walking Football and 2071 individuals have benefitted from the charity’s health and wellbeing programmes.

BFCitC also operates a portfolio of facilities including an education hub at Turf Moor, an outdoor education centre and at the start of August, will open a foodbank and community kitchen at the heart of Burnley’s town centre.

The success of the charity has been recognised multiple times on both a regional and national level. BFCitC have won Community Club of the Year at Northwest Football Awards the last three years in a row and only this week it was announced that Burnley FC’s official charity has been nominated for an international award at the Beyond Sport Global Awards.

Neil Hart, Chief Executive Officer at Burnley FC in the Community said: “The football club is at the very heart of the community here in Burnley. We’re proud to use the power, influence and inspirational status it holds as a positive force for good in our region and to change people’s lives for the better.”

The story of Burnley FC in the Community can be followed via the charity’s website at www.burnleyfccommunity.org