Middlesbrough FC Foundation has been awarded a £10,000 grant from the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund towards delivering Walking Football in Stockton-on-Tees.
The programme will see the launch of new walking football sessions within Stockton-on-Tees as part of the In Your Stride programme already delivered in Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland in partnership with Tees Valley Community Foundation and You’ve Got This.
Over 60 EFL club community organisations have received a grant in the first phase of funding, which aims to improve the quality of life within communities through the access to, and quality of, football provisions and initiatives.
Applications covering projects across a range of categories, such as improving local sporting facilities or promoting the physical and social benefits of the game, were considered, and rubber-stamped by a panel of industry experts including Sky Bet ambassador Jeff Stelling last month.
The Building Foundations Fund represents the largest multi-year sponsor-backed fund dedicated solely to community activity and the process is underway to give EFL Community Club Organisations (CCOs) a chance to bid for grants of up to £100,000 to invest in ongoing programmes or to develop new initiatives.
The EFL and Sky Bet agreed a record extension earlier this year that saw the sports betting brand continue as the League’s title partner until the end of the 2028/29 campaign. The commitment to a community fund was an integral part of the extension agreement.
To find out more about the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund with other examples of how the fund is being used, visit: https://m.skybet.com/lp/efl-building-foundations-fund