Football clubs are often said to be at the heart of a community. Fans of all ages, backgrounds and social standing come together on a Saturday to share the common goal of supporting their team. But, the power of football extends to all levels of society, long after the final whistle has blown…

Craig White, Director of Leicester City’s Football in the Community Team, is well aware of the influence football has on the community and is looking to use it to benefit as many people as possible.

“The aim is to provide something for somebody, somewhere. Whether it’s disability football, women’s football or any other community issues, we should have something for everybody.”

LCFC in the Community is a registered charity that relies upon sponsorship, donations and funding. As well as nationally renowned children’s coaching and women’s football schemes, the team also help youngsters with education, work with the Prince’s Trust and oversee a whole host of other activities.

Craig, who has been at the club for over 16 years, explained how he got involved, the background of the club’s community department and why similar schemes across the country were introduced.

“I got involved through former City player and coach, Neville Hamilton, who I used to coach regularly with. I already had my level two coaching badge and he asked me to help with their courses, before a full-time job came up. I’ve been here ever since and worked my way up from Assistant, to Director.

“We used to be part of the Professional Footballers Association. Every football club across the country used to have a Community Scheme, which was endorsed by the PFA. The community schemes came about after the Hillsborough disaster and because of violence at matches. The idea was to break down all the issues within football, trying to use the power of the game to engage with the community.”

Craig explains why LCFC in the Community became a charity.

“When Football in the Community was disbanded by the PFA we became a charity. We’re an independent arm of the football club, but they offer invaluable support to the Trust and we are still a big part of the club.

“Our board consists of Leicester City Football Club, the National and Local FA, Spearing Waite, the Children and Young People’s Services, Leicester City Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the Primary Care Trust.”

So what does the Community team do? A better question would probably be ‘what don’t they do?’

“Holiday coaching courses used to be our core business, but now only make up 10% of what we do. We run Saturday soccer clubs, birthday parties and NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training Services). NEETs are for 16 to 19-year-olds who have left school and have fallen out of the system. We pick them up, put them into one of our courses, train them to get qualifications and hopefully feed them back into education.

“We also deal with health issues, including tackling obesity, in conjunction with the Football League, the PCT and Leicester City Council. We have just linked with the Police to look at crime, all of which means we are having an impact on people’s lives.”

A handful of professional footballers have come through the coaching courses as Craig revealed.

“Emile Heskey came through under Nev Hamilton and Richard Stearman was spotted at one of our holiday courses in Market Harborough. They were both brought into development centres at the club and have moved on to play at the highest level.”

Craig is clearly passionate about his role, putting in a lot of effort but also receiving great job satisfaction in return.

“What’s good is that each day is different. We see the players we’ve spotted go on to play for clubs and that’s a major satisfaction. Helping somebody back into education and with their life is a massive motivation.”

In recent years, LCFC in the Community has grown and gained national recognition for the services they provide.

“When we started we had two members of staff. Now we’ve got seven full-time and between 25 and 30 casual staff. We see around 40,000 kids in a year and that’s made up of all the children that take part in our activities, including Saturday clubs, birthday parties and holiday courses.

“We’ve won the best holiday courses award, which means that parents know that our courses are safe and of a high standard.”

Like City’s first team, who continue to go from strength to strength under Nigel Pearson, LCFC in the Community aren’t willing to rest on their laurels as Craig looks for further improvement.

“Our aims for the future are to tackle more issues in the community and to become a leading provider in schools.

“The community is integral to the future of the football club. Players and managers will come and go, but the fans will always be here, to connect the past, present and future together.”

For more information on LCFC-ITC visit www.lcfc.com, select ‘club’ from the toolbar and then click on LCFC in the Community. To find out how you can get involved, make a donation and support Craig and his team, call 0116 2915 223.