Launch of Darlington Football Club Foundation

We are delighted to announce the launch of Darlington Football Club Foundation – the official charity partner of Darlington FC.

The aim of the Foundation is to improve the lives of people in Darlington and surrounding areas  -- especially their health -- by promoting positive activity and lifestyles through education and engagement of young people and their families for the benefit of the whole community.

The specific principal objects are:

1. a) to encourage and advance the education of children and adults within the community with the purpose of promoting a healthy lifestyle; and
2. b) to promote community involvement in healthy recreation by improving facilities and education in their use for the playing of sports, especially to people and communities who have limited access to such places.

The Foundation will be working closely with the Football Club to deliver its objectives and we view this as a key step forward towards one of our main goals, which is to cement Darlington FC’s place at the heart of the community as a focal point for the local area, its people and families.

Darlington Chief Executive Officer David Johnston said; “Darlington Football Club, through its Foundation, is delighted to undertake an innovative and forward-thinking project with our partners in the town of Darlington and surrounding communities.

"The football club wants to take a strong lead in promoting a healthy and beneficial lifestyle for everyone."

The Foundation will be chaired by Steve Rose, who as the CEO of Catalyst, Stockton-on-Tees Limited and a Rotarian, brings a wealth of experience in the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector. He said; “"It is a great pleasure to be associated with the new Darlington FC Foundation and we are looking forward to improving lives within communities that are served by the Football Club."

There are five other Trustees on the Foundation Board:

Councillor Sajna Ali;

Brian Boggon;

Andrew Brown OBE;

Lisa Locke; 

Michelle Thompson BEM

Biographies of the Trustees will be available on the Foundation’s website, which will shortly be available at www.darlingtonfcfoundation.org.uk

We are in the process of formally registering Darlington Football Club Foundation with the Charities Commission, but in the meantime the Foundation is fully constituted and the time taken for the Charities Commission to process the application will not affect the Foundation’s ability to function.  

So, what sort of activities should we expect to see the Foundation get involved with?

The Foundation through its delivery partner, ‘Sporting Futures’, will be working with schools within the town and surrounding areas to deliver football coaching and other sporting activities. The Foundation will also be taking over the responsibility from the Football Club for running the successful ‘Football in the Community’ holiday soccer camps.

The Foundation is working on opportunities to collaborate with other organisations in the area to deliver community projects that will deliver outcomes that are consistent with the objects of the Foundation.

Funding for the Foundation is expected to come from three primary areas:

• Surpluses derived from coaching in the schools and the holiday soccer camps;
• Grant funding from the National League Trust and other sources; and
• Donations from the business community.

Whilst Darlington FC Supporters Group, as a Community Benefit Society, and Darlington Football Club each have constitutional obligations to engage with and to benefit the local community, it was felt that the creation of a dedicated charitable foundation would be far more effective in being able to meet those obligations, both from an operational and funding perspective.

The Foundation’s first event will take place on Saturday 14^th September (the day of our home match with York City) and all Darlington FC fans will be invited to take part. Further announcements will be made shortly.

If you want to know more about Darlington Football Club Foundation contact enquiries@darlingtonfcfoundation.org.uk