Participation in football adds £95m of value to Aberdeen City Region

Aberdeen FC Community Trust Reports £10 return for every £1 invested in its football activities

Aberdeen FC Community Trust is helping to add £95m of value to the region as a result of its anchor role in encouraging participation in football and delivering football-related activities in Aberdeen city and Aberdeenshire.

Aberdeen Football Club’s charity partner published its 2019/20 Impact Report today which reveals that participation in football and football-related activities directly contributes £16.3million to the regional economy.

Almost £13m of social benefits and £66.3m of healthcare savings are derived from the 71,000 participants involved in the sport and its related programmes in the region.

The report reflects on the Trust’s achievements over the past two years and sets out its ambition to expand its support to communities, particularly young people, across the region.

Between July 2019 to March 2020, AFCCT provided 7,540 meals for young people, tackling food poverty at their place of education and in the community during school holidays.

The hugely successful initiatives include breakfast clubs; FootyTea after school clubs which combine homecooked meals with physical activity; GoFitba, which enables access to free football and healthy meals; and Food & Fun, which provides breakfast and lunch for young people on free school meals during the holidays.

Liz Bowie, chief executive of AFCCT, said: “Our latest Impact Report shows that AFCCT has had a marked effect on our communities, helping to deliver significant socio-economic benefits but, more importantly, influencing positive change that transforms lives.

“Since 2014 the Trust, working with our partners, has helped dramatically improve the health and wellbeing of more than a million people across Aberdeen City and Shire, leading to increased attainment and major savings in healthcare services. 

“As we emerge from lockdown once more, we’ll be ramping up our work with young people. Helping to tackle mental health challenges is a top priority for us.”

The charity’s priorities are shaped by local, national and international strategies, alongside local community needs and input from the Scottish Government, Education Scotland, SportScotland, the SFA and local authorities, with a strong commitment to increasing physical activity and tackling issues such as poverty, inequalities and wellbeing.

The Trust delivers programmes and activities across three pillars – Football for Life, Healthy Communities and Education.