SOCIAL research company Substance has estimated the social value of the work of MFC Foundation last year at over £13 Million pounds.
Part of that staggering calculation is the work we put in to improve mental health. During last year 5,000 people reported improvements in their mental health having attended sessions or events designed to impact directly – or indirectly – on an aspect of their mental health. That’s over 80% of the total number of participants.
And while last week we focussed on provision for males in the area and how they impact their health, it’s important to note this provision if not just for males, not just for one week in the year and there is much wider impact than any individual’s physical and mental wellbeing.
The report from Substance, carried out in partnership with the English Football League, also looked at our impact in areas including education, sports participation and social inclusion.
It found that during the past three seasons, 16,457 community sessions and events were delivered (6,778 in the most recent season) and over 25,194 hours of delivery, up from 11,005 in 2021/22.
This work helped generate a total of £13,048,308.53 of social value across the season.
It concluded that, “Like the other clubs in the network, Middlesbrough played a significant role in supporting their community during the COVID-19 pandemic and are supporting their community in new and enhanced ways not touched upon in this report.
“The power of football clubs in their communities is evident to see and Middlesbrough will continue to contribute significantly to developing stronger, healthier, more active communities as we move into future seasons.”
To read the report in full follow this link.