NEWS RELEASE: SPFL Trust research demonstrates reach and impact of SPFL associated clubs and trusts

NEWS RELEASE

ISSUE DATE: 22 June 2022

Measuring Community Impact: SPFL Trust research demonstrates reach and impact of SPFL associated clubs and trusts

New research compiled by KKP and published by the SPFL Trust has demonstrated the huge contribution of SPFL associated trusts and clubs (ATCs) to their local communities.

The evaluation report, entitled Measuring Community Impact: SPFL Associated Trusts and Clubs, shows that in a single year the ATCs linked to Scotland’s professional football clubs delivered more than 2,402,000 person hours of participation. This involved more than 110,000 people taking part in a wide range of activities, including more than 91,000 hours of group activity across 250 facilities.

Over the course of the evaluation year more than £5,000,000 was spent directly on community projects by associated trusts and clubs to “support and change people’s lives for the better”.

As KKP’s data analysis and geographic information systems show, 4.52 million people, 82.6% of the Scottish population, live within 10 miles of an SPFL ground, which means SPFL clubs’ ATCs are well placed to reach 93% of the most deprived population groups in the country.

Nicky Reid, chief executive officer of the SPFL Trust, said the report illustrates the importance of the work done within communities by ATCs across Scotland: “ATCs are a powerful network, well placed to support communities across Scotland. They deliver a wide range of cost-effective programmes which, even more importantly, support and change people’s lives for the better. This helpful data provided by KKP has informed our 2022-25 strategy, Football Powered, which focuses on the important role football can play in helping people to live happier, healthier, longer lives in Scotland.”

KKP chief executive John Eady commented: “KKP’s extensive experience in the field of impact evaluation and specialist performance measurement has enabled us to devise a research methodology that provides the data and analysis to demonstrate the huge community impact of SPFL clubs’ ATCs. This requires the handling of high volumes of data, and the support and commitment of a huge number of people.

“We were pleased to have been able to generate a 93% response rate from the 42 SPFL clubs This makes for comprehensive, robust data and is testament not only to the hard work and commitment of the KKP evaluation team but also to the strong working relationship we enjoyed with the team at the SPFL Trust.”

The research period ran from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020. This included the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Covid crisis saw extensive disruption of the activities and priorities within communities across Scotland but it was notable that the SPFL ATCs were at the forefront of community engagement in their locations. Despite all the challenges of Covid-19, not least to staffing and funding, between 1 March and 30 June 2020 ATCs delivered a total of 193,908 individual/family support initiatives.

The report Measuring Community Impact: SPFL Associated Trusts and Clubs, including details of all data and methodologies, is available via the SPFL Trust website at www.spfltrust.org.uk

 

 Notes for editors

  • This evaluation of the social and community impact of ATCs was commissioned by the SPFL Trust and delivered by Knight, Kavanagh and Page. For further details of KKP’s work visit www.kkp.co.uk
  • John Eady is available for interview. Please contact KKP via (0)161 764 7040 or email mail@kkp.co.uk
  • KKP’s report for the EFL, Measuring the Impact of EFL Clubs in the Community, a report into the community role of club community organisations associated with professional football clubs in England is available via the EFL Trust website:
    https://www.efltrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/EFL-Trust-in-the-Community.pdf