The Leeds Summit on Community Sport for Development and Diplomacy saw more than 70 participants, practitioners and policy-makers, athletes and academics convene at the University of Leeds over two days in September 2025 to debate the power and potential of community sport as a developmental and diplomatic tool for both local and global impact. ConnectSport CIC was media partner for the event and, in this series of short articles, our reporter Josh Chadwick-Birch spoke to attendees about what they gained from the Summit.

Josh: Hi Debbie, please can you tell us about your role?

Debbie: I'm Director of Community at the English Football League (EFL) and I lead EFL in the Community, the charitable arm of the EFL.  I'm at the Summit representing the 72 charities associated with Football Clubs in the EFL.

What are you hoping to gain from this Summit?

One of the things I'd really like to see come out of the Summit is that more people understand the depth and breadth of the work that's going on across the 72 EFL club charities. Every football club in the EFL has its own charitable arm and collectively they are delivering £1.24billion worth of social value every year, working with people to improve their mental and physical health; working with people to get them back into employment; working with people with dementia; bringing people together to create cohesive communities…. you name it, football club charities are doing it! They are wrapping their arms around families and around communities, and we want more people to know about it so they can benefit too. 

Football club charities are doing tremendous work to tackle some of society's most pressing challenges. However, to support their ongoing impactful initiatives, they require long-term funding that cannot solely rely on the football sector as many clubs also face sustainability challenges. It is therefore crucial for policy-makers to commission more of this work, ensuring a broader range of funding sources to maintain and expand the positive impact of these charities have on our communities.

What key development would you like to see happen in community sport over the next five years?

I'd like to see policy-makers funding what works. We know that football club charities, for example, are trusted and authentic organisations in their communities. There is no stigma to engaging with your football club’s charity, which means that we can connect with people, to address things like mental health issues, physical health issues, weight loss, or get people doing blood pressure checks…. and yet the funding isn't always being directed at some of the organisations that work in this space, and have real success in this space. I'd like to see longer term funding for the charitable sector in community sport.

How important is it for you that a football club partners with other organisations in the community?

Yes, partnerships are really important. Football clubs understand their communities, so they are often working with a variety of partners in their local areas. They are working with community groups, other charities, the local authorities, NHS commissioners - and these partnerships really work.

Thanks for speaking to ConnectSport, Debbie.

Find out more at eflinthecommunity.com

Read the Leeds Declaration on Community Sport for Development & Diplomacy.

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