It’s been a busy first few months of 2025 for Lorna Leach, who joined Tigers Trust – the independent charity linked to Hull City Football Club – as Director of Community in January. Highly experienced in community sport and sport for development having worked previously for London Sport and Active Lincolnshire, Lorna took time out to speak to Sanya Chauhan for ConnectSport.

Hi Lorna, thanks for speaking to ConnectSport. Can you tell us about your background and what inspired you to join Tigers Trust as the Director of the Community? 

“The majority of my career has been in sport for development, but it happened by accident - I was not a sporty child. I wanted to be a forensic scientist, but at A-levels, my grades weren’t good enough for the subjects I needed, so I had to choose between dance and PE. I picked PE and fell in love with the policy, history and sociology of sport. I have worked with local authorities, sports development teams, and Macmillan Cancer Support, always focused on how sport benefits society, not just elite athletes. I was also on the board of Lincolnshire Cricket. 

“When the Tigers Trust role came up, it ticked all boxes for me. It was already making a big impact, but I saw opportunities to grow, especially in health and employability. Hull and East Riding have unique challenges like rural and coastal deprivation. Instead of always being on the strategic side, nudging partners to behave differently, I would be leading an organisation that’s actually playing its role in making change happen - that really felt important to me.

As the Director of Community, what priorities will you be focusing on the coming year? 

“I have come in at a transition point for the organisation, not just because my predecessor left, but also because our strategy is coming to an end. One of my big priorities is reviewing our current strategy, assessing our impact, and developing the next one. I believe in building strategies with the communities we serve, so my team and I are using this year to map out needs, opportunities and challenges across the region. 

“Another focus is making sure we have the right governance, staff structure, policies and funding mix, particularly around unrestricted funding. We need to balance our independence from Hull City while strengthening our relationship with the club. We also have a facility that we lease, and maintaining and developing it is crucial. It’s more than 20 years old, and we need to ensure it serves the community well. My role is about making sure we grow the right way for the people we support.”

How do you plan to measure and enhance the success and impact of Tigers Trust initiatives within local communities? 

“At the moment, we have the measurements that we’re required to submit through the Premier League Charitable Fund (PLCF) and English Football League in the Community. We get a brilliant social value report back from the EFLitC, and we have just had our latest updates on our SROI (Social Return on Investment), which measures our social and economic value across different indicators like volunteering, fan engagement, player engagement, jobs and employability. It is really detailed and hugely valuable for a small organisation like ours.

“I would like us to align this data better with local strategic objectives, the Sustainable Development Goals, and some of Labour’s missions. It’s really important that we start speaking to those people. As we develop our new strategy, I want to introduce a theory of change with clear indicators to track progress. This will help us tell a much better story. Our comms officer does a great job, but there is so much to cover.  Having structured processes will make it easier to show what we are achieving and how we are making an impact.”

Are there any upcoming projects and partnerships that you are particularly excited about? 

“It’s really hard when you are at a new organisation, everything’s exciting! My predecessor did amazing work, and most of what is on our website is thanks to her and the team under her leadership. She won the Business Charity of the Year award, which has opened up new opportunities, especially in corporate and commercial partnerships. We are really excited about developing these partnerships and initiatives like Future Humber, HEY Smile and HEY Confident Futures, which focus on leadership and making change.

“We have also been working with the local council to adapt our approach to help different community groups access physical activity, which is a great example of how we can support local investment. On the education side, we are partnering with League Football Education to deliver Level 2 and 3 BTECs starting next year, which is a big step for us as we grow our post-16 offer.”

How do you envision the Trust adapting to evolving community needs in the future? 

“I haven’t had enough time to fully think about it yet. I have been focused on sorting out the organisation’s structure, as I am only a couple of months in. When people ask me for a five-year vision, I don’t have a set plan to push on everyone, it’s more about gathering input from consultations. That said, I do know there is a real need in the region for skills, employability and health support. Deprivation in this area has lasting impacts on health, and I believe we don’t do enough in that space.

“One of the things I am particularly focused on is the potential of our facility in Hull. Although we deliver across East Riding, this facility has real potential to benefit the local community directly surrounding it. I want to ensure that space is adaptive and can be used in various ways for the people who need it the most.”

How do you see the link between climate change and social inequalities in the communities you serve, particularly in relation to the impact on those already facing deprivation?

“We can definitely do more in terms of environmental sustainability. Our building is old, and we have focused on the easier tasks so far, but sustainability is a priority for us. We have a commitment within our governance structure, and the Capability Code of Practice from PLCF and EFLitC also requires us to focus on it. We do a lot of travel, which has environmental impacts, so there’s much more to consider.

"One initiative we are proud of is our ‘Recycle Your Football Boots’ programme, where we collect boots from players and local communities and redistribute them. While we are doing some innovative things, there is still a lot more we can do.”

Thanks for your time Lorna. What would be your final reflection?

“The main theme right now is that it is a year of change. I am really keen on getting the right building blocks in place, so I have real confidence that we are doing matters to people looking from the outside. I also want to ensure my team is confident and has access to the development opportunities they need, to do their jobs effectively. My focus is on making those two parts work together efficiently. This is a huge year of exciting changes for us, and now is the time to get involved and connect with us, we are open to ideas and possibilities.”

To find out more about Tigers Trust, visit tigerstrust.co.uk

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