We will be celebrating Community Day on Saturday 20 April, when we welcome Forest Green Rovers to the Mazuma Mobile Stadium!
Our annual Community Day is an opportunity to celebrate the fantastic work carried out by the Morecambe Community Sports team, and reflect on another successful year for the organisation.
The work of the Community Sports team will be known to all Shrimps' fans, as well as many within the local area.
For the younger generation, they provide a variety of workshops in local schools, both primary and secondary. These include PE lessons, mental health support sessions, and classroom-based activities, as well as delivering the player engagement visits in which players from the first team squad are deployed to local schools to engage with the pupils through a variety of activities.
Outside of schools, Community Sports host a variety of evening sessions including the Premier League Kicks scheme. These football sessions offer the chance for children from 8-18 to get active, including girls-only sessions and sessions for children with special needs. The Champions programme is funded through the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network, and is aimed children and young people who are either in the justice system currently, or at risk of being in it. Through one-to-one sessions and signposting to further Community Sports workshops, the programme aims to support those affected, and help them to change their lives for the better.
Community Sports have a strong relationship with local veterans, hosting regular coffee mornings at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium aimed at providing a social space for those who have served in the Armed Forces. The Extra Time sessions are directed at those over the age of 60, providing a space for older people to meet up, socialise, and take part in activities with the Community Sports staff.
Their work extends to matchdays at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium, supporting matchdays for both the men's and women's teams. From activities outside the stadium before kick-off to the organisation of flagbearers and mascots, every Morecambe fan will be familiar with the amazing work of the Community Sports. More recently, they have been working closely with the Former Players Association, bolstering the relationships within the Morecambe FC family.
In March, the Morecambe FC Community Sports team's work was recognised at the EFL Community Awards 2024. Farrend Rawson won the League Two Player in the Community award, while the Veteran's Project was awarded Community Project of the Season. Both awards were collected at an awards ceremon hosted at the House of Commons on Tuesday 26 March.
Morecambe FC Community Sports CEO Stuart Glover said:
"We've invited over 1,000 people to occupy the Dennison terrace. These include people from local schools that we work with, Lancaster & Morecambe Service to Youth League, and other projects including the Headstart project and our veteran's project. This will hopefully give us a bumper crowd to cheer the Shrimps on!
"The Community Sports team will be out and about engaging with people as they arrive. The inflatable will be up outside the front of the stadium, our friends from More Music will be here with Baybeat, and there will be a DJ.
"Morecambe Bay Foodbank will be here collecting foodstuffs as well as monetary donation, and Lancashire County Council Youth & Community Service will be in attendance with their outreach bus!
"Supporters will also be able to pay £1 to have three attempts on the Shoot For Goal inflatable, to be entered into a raffle to win a signed shirt or a signed ball."
For Stuart and the Community Sports team, Community Day is an invaluable opportunity to celebrate the efforts of the whole team and the impact they have within the local area.
"It's a fantastic opportunity for us as a team, for the football club, but also for our stakeholders and partners. They get to come along and see the impact of the work we do with the football club, and it really highlights how much of a pillar the football club is within the community.
"For the football club, it is a great chance to help grow the fanbase, with over 1,000 prospective fans in the stadium to watch the match and hopefully watch the Shrimps win. Finally, it is amazing for our team to be able to feel appreciated for the hard work they put in throughout the year on a daily basis."
