Colchester United Community Foundation is launching a new project, supported by the Premier League Fans Fund.
The Premier League Fans Fund provides grants to support football clubs at all levels of the game to strengthen connections between them, their fans, and local communities.
The fund supports a range of fan-focused and fan-led projects, helping to foster a sense of belonging through meaningful engagement. This includes schemes for under-represented groups, to further develop an inclusive and welcoming matchday experience for everyone.
The East Stand Family Zone will use the reach and appeal of Colchester United to enhance the match day experiences for families attending Colchester United home games. The zone will help us to enhance the experience for families attending Colchester United games, as it will give families an entertaining place to take their children before the matches starts.
Ed King, Head of Health & Inclusion at Colchester United Community Foundation, said “We are delighted to have received financial support from the Premier League Fans Fund to launch the East Stand Family Zone. Supporters should keep their eyes open for more news about this shortly. The Family Zone will be open before the end of the season”.
Open to 120 professional football club community organisations in the Premier League, English Football League, National League, Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship, the Premier League Fans Fund builds on the Premier League and clubs’ commitment to ensuring long-term engagement with supporters.
Premier League Director of Community, Nick Perchard, said: “Fans are the lifeblood of football and their commitment to, and involvement with, their local club is essential to the continued success of the game at every level.
“Through the Premier League Fans Fund we are investing in projects that will enhance connections between clubs and fans, whilst also delivering even more community impact. By supporting clubs across England and Wales, from both the men’s and women’s game, to develop projects that respond directly to the needs of their fans, we can help to ensure that football offers a fantastic experience for everyone.”
Premier League funding supports projects that respond to local need, and which aim to improve the match day environment for fans and/or residents, address fan behaviour, and community impact such as the cost-of-living crisis, build upon a club's heritage and engage and support underrepresented fan groups (disability, ethnicity, LGBTQ+, women and girls).
Delivery is often themed around tackling inequalities to create community cohesion, covering areas like equality, diversity, and inclusion, mental health and wellbeing, physical health and wellbeing, providing education and training opportunities, supporting employability, and/or sustainability.
Funding is flexible to empower professional football clubs, and their community organisations, to develop fan-focused and fan-led projects that respond directly to the needs of their local community.
The Premier League Fans Fund is administered through the Premier League Charitable Fund.
To find out more about the Premier League Fans Fund, please visit www.premierleague.com/plcf
