Long Eaton close gap between first team and the community

The Blues are directing a grant from the Trident Community Foundation straight back into the local area and expanding their two holiday programmes.

Chairman and trustee Nick Dargan has helped run the football club for over seven years and believes they will reap the rewards of strengthening their community ties.

"We are clear that the future of non-league football lies in attendances increasing and treating your local community well," he said.

"That is not about one-off games, that is about getting young children and their parents or carers interested in what you are doing from a community point of view.

"If you can attract young boys and girls to your club, and if you can attach interactions with the men's and women's first teams to the holiday camps, then you hopefully get a growing number of people from the community involved.

"That will increase the gates and the number of people watching the men's and women's first teams, which will improve the sustainability of the club.

"It shows them what our club is all about."

The Seagulls are among the dozens of Step 3 and 4 clubs who have benefited from Trident Community Foundation funding since the initiative was launched by NPL partners Pitching In in December 2020, with more than £100,000 awarded to clubs with the aim of launching new or expanding existing community projects.

United run two holiday camps, which split the focus between social enrichment and sport, and Dargan believes the services they provide are crucial to parents around Long Eaton.

He added: "We are always oversubscribed, so there is clearly a demand within the local community to provide support during the parental working week.

"We are totally thankful to the Trident Community Foundation for considering our project to be worthwhile.

"People are struggling for all kinds of reasons, not just financially but also in terms of time. We can be an organisation that offers safe and respectful facilities for their children so they can go to work.

"And with the funding from the Trident Community Foundation, we can subsidise the cost."

Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain, has launched a multi-million-pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. For more details see: https://entaingroup.com/sustainability/pitching-in/