Seven EFL Club Charities unite to help over 60s improve their health and wellbeing!
Thanks to the EFL in the Community Catalyst Fund, Stevenage FC Foundation will deliver the REACT programme and support over 60s across the local community.
Supported by robust evidence from a large NIHR‑funded trial, the REACT (REtirement in ACTion) programme offers a group‑based exercise approach that demonstrably improves mobility and promotes independent living.
The REACT programme was developed in response to a pressing and growing public health challenge: the decline in physical function and independence among older adults. According to the Office for National Statistics, one in five people in the UK are currently aged 65 or over, and by 2050 this will rise to one in four.
The programme combines exercise, education and social activities that are designed for older adults who are beginning to show age-related mobility decline. Through a cost-effective real world intervention, older adults will develop positive physical activity behaviours and habits and form lasting social connections.
This new funding from EFL in the Community will scale up the REACT programme and utilise the power of football to reach adults who would otherwise not engage in the programme.
Wigan Athletic Community Trust, Bolton Wanderers in the Community, Bristol City Robins Foundation, Bristol Rovers Community Trust, QPR in the Community, Stevenage FC Foundation and Watford FC’s Community Sports and Education Trust will be the first seven EFL Club Charities to deliver the programme, enhancing their already impactful work across their local communities.
Josh Spearing, Active Ageing Manager at Stevenage FC Foundation: “REACT is an incredible opportunity to strengthen our falls prevention work across the Hertfordshire community. Throughout the REACT programme we will be able to achieve meaningful progress, helping to improve the quality of life amongst some of our older adult cohort.”
EFL in the Community’s Director of Community, Debbie Cook, said: “EFL Clubs are at the heart of their communities and the charities associated with our Clubs are changing lives together 365 days a year.
“We were delighted to announce this funding during the EFL’s Week of Action. It aims to tackle some of the key challenges facing our country and highlights that our Clubs are well placed to reach out to the people of their communities and engage with them in a way that many organisations cannot.”
Professor Afroditi Stathi, Chief Investigator of REACT at the University of Birmingham, said: “I am excited that REACT will now be delivered through EFL in the Community, bringing this evidence-based programme into spaces where men, in particular, feel a strong sense of belonging – their football clubs.
“This expansion means more people can stay mobile, independent, and socially connected, while strengthening the community spirit that football represents.”
For more information about the project and how to get involved, please contact Josh Spearing at community@stevenagefcf.com or call 01438 222 222.
All REACT photography courtesy of Alex Rotas http://alexrotasphotography.co.uk/”,
