LFC's community impact worth £23m
Liverpool FC's commitment to supporting the local community has been independently valued at £23m during a 12-month period.
- LFC’s charity contributed £23m social value to Liverpool City Region
- Every £1 spent created a social return of £15
- Supported more than 50,000 people in 12 months
- 72 per cent* of people were from most deprived wards in the country
- 85 per cent** improved mental wellbeing
- 86 per cent*** improved in physical health and fitness
The Reds’ official charity, LFC Foundation, and its dedicated local community programme, Red Neighbours, has revealed the huge impact its work is having in local communities across the Liverpool City Region.
LFC Foundation has been working alongside research and technology company Substance to measure the impact of its work.
The report estimates LFC Foundation has worked with more than 50,000 people and contributed a value of £23.41m to the Liverpool City Region in a 12-month period, which equates to a social return on investment of more than £15 for every £1 invested.
The charity also engaged with a high number of people with disabilities, as well as participants from ethnically diverse backgrounds, more than is typical for the Liverpool City Region.
The work has been more important than ever during the past 18 months, with communities across the region experiencing unprecedented and difficult times as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Matt Parish, chief executive of LFC Foundation, said: “It was really important for us to understand the outcomes of our work and also have the opportunity to discover its monetary value to the Liverpool City Region.
“The key learnings from this report will enable us to continue our growth and develop new ways to engage with participants and partners to reach our goal of providing long-term change for communities by reducing the negative impacts they face with high levels of deprivation, and ensure our work has a lasting impact and benefits future generations across our region and beyond.
“For us this report is just the beginning, and this work will be ongoing to ensure that we continue to define, monitor, assess and report on our impact to help us in our ambition to be the leading foundation in the sector.”
Alongside its key partners, LFC Foundation was able to reassess its provision in light of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns to ensure it could continue to provide its delivery online for its participants and their families.
Other findings from the report included a 53 per cent rise in the number of followers across LFC Foundation’s social media platforms, which has enabled the charity to communicate and engage with more young people, families, partners and the wider football community.
LFC Foundation participants’ experiences were also captured by the report, which help to bring the numbers to life. Some of the feedback included participants’ feelings towards acceptance: “I felt safe, felt included and I was heard,” and “I was able to talk about stuff without being judged.”
Other participants’ feedback included praise for LFC Foundation coaches: “I genuinely can’t think of anything you can do to improve. You have a great coaching team.”
Read LFC Foundation’s Impact Report 2021 in full here.
To find out more about LFC Foundation and its programmes and partnerships, visit https://foundation.liverpoolfc.com/
- *Based on a sample of 6,762 participants – LFC Foundation Impact Report 2021.
- **Based on a survey sample of 478 responses – LFC Foundation Impact Report 2021.
- ***Based on a survey sample of 339 responses – LFC Foundation Impact Report 2021.