Players and staff from Everton Academy have been going the extra mile for the Club’s official charity, Everton in the Community.
2022 represented the first calendar year of no restrictions for players going out in the community since the COVID-19 pandemic. That allowed representatives of the Club’s Academy to be more involved in the charity’s life-changing and life-saving work, with players and coaches from both the Under-18s and Under-21s pledging their time to support Everton in the Community.
Members of the Under-21s squad have been getting their hands dirty by helping out with the creation of a new forest school at Holy Spirit Primary School in Bootle. An unused and uncared for area on the school grounds is now being turned into a sanctuary for children to fully immerse themselves in nature with a dedicated outdoor learning space. Players and staff enjoyed a total of three visits helping with the clear up of the space.
Later in the year, members of both Under-18s and Under-21s squads marked World Mental Health Day by joining Everton in the Community for a specially-designed football tournament to mark the global day of action.
The competition saw the tables turned on the players who had to act as referees for the fixtures. The day also included a mental health workshop which gave the players an opportunity to join participants in discussing how mental health impacts them, as well as writing their own pledges of how they can improve their own wellbeing.
As part of their continued support for Everton in the Community, Everton Academy collectively took part in a reverse advent calendar campaign over Christmas. The initiative saw players and staff donate much-needed food items and clothing for each day in December which in-turn directly supported Everton in the Community’s Blue Base pantry and some of the most vulnerable families in North Liverpool.
Despite the Academy’s busy schedule over December, members of the Under-21s squad managed to find the time to spread the festive spirit by visiting Everton in the Community’s Blue Base where two of the pioneering charity’s health programmes, Girls on Side and Parkinson’s Walking Football celebrated their Christmas party. As well as speaking to participants and dishing out the desserts, the Academy players handed out raffle tickets and helped facilitate games of bingo - which even included an opportunity for some of the players to act as guest bingo callers!
Reflecting on a positive year of volunteering, Paul Tait, Everton’s Under-21 Head Coach, is looking forward to seeing his players further engage with the community in the forthcoming year.
“Our lads have had a great time engaging with and volunteering for Everton in the Community," he said. "It has been great and educational to find out more about how the charity operates and how it changes the lives of so many people in Merseyside through its life-saving work.
“The variety of activities our players have been able to get involved in is testament to the charity’s vast work, and we look forward to helping out where we can once again in 2023.”
