How Manchester City supported its community during the past year
Howard Lake | 24 May 2021 | News
Manchester City has finished its latest Premier League Season with its fifth title in 10 years. But the past year has seen the football club provide extensive off-the-pitch support for its wider community.
While the impact of COVID-19 has emptied stadiums across the UK, Manchester City’s work with its local and wider community has contributed to this past year’s emergency and recovery needs.
Etihad Campus
The team moved into the Etihad Stadium in 2003. It now sits on the wider Etihad Campus, which includes the City Football Academy, a performance training and youth development facility located in the heart of East Manchester.
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In March 2020, the Club partnered with the NHS and the Council which which saw the Campus’ facilities deliver a wide range activities stewarded by Manchester City, including testing facilities. The Campus continues to operate as an NHS vaccination centre.
More than 350 nursing staff working across Manchester, including within local community care and children’s settings, were trained at the Etihad Stadium.
City shirts as children’s hospital gowns
Just last month, as part of a new pilot project in collaboration with the Manchester Fashion Institute at Manchester Metropolitan University and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), new hospital gowns made from City shirts were designed, created and donated to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Cityzens Giving for Recovery
In June 2020 the club launched the ‘Cityzens Giving for Recovery’ initiative to support those in need across the city and around the world. So far more than £1 million has been raised via crowdfunding across the City Football Group, for targeted projects near each of the Group’s ten clubs across the globe.
Other donations
The Club has also supported other community efforts, ranging from food bank donations and vouchers for local schools, to free education resources and gifts for children in care.
- Virtual hospital visits: Patients at four hospitals received calls from players including those at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Wythenshawe Starlight, The Christie and Francis House Children’s Hospice
- Food donations: Food intended for Premier League matches at the Etihad Stadium was donated to local foodbanks. The Club made a financial donation of £50,000 to the Trussell Trust Food bank Group for their Manchester operations, and donated 500 three-course meals to local families.
- Every day essentials: 45,000 everyday essential items were donated to 10 charities across the city to distribute to those most in need.
- Gifts to the local community: 5,500 gifts were given to children in East Manchester and the foster care network and 550 presents given to patients at four hospitals in Manchester.
- Education resources for school children/young adults: 260 laptops and data packs were provided for local primary school children to ensure they could access remote learning and keep up with their education.
- Gift packages for over 70s fans: Gift packages were delivered to supporters over the age of 70. These included books and City-related gifts.
- Letters to local care homes: Academy U15 players wrote to residents in three local care homes to let them know the Club was thinking of them.
City midfielder, Phil Foden, said:
“It’s really special that while we’ve been training at CFA, the NHS have also been helping so many people on the Etihad Campus. We are really proud to play for a Club with such a strong connection with our community here in Manchester and our communities all around the world.”
- Manchester City commits £400k to second year of Cityzens’ Giving Campaign (11 December 2015)
- Manchester City kicks off its third annual Cityzens Giving initiative (18 November 2016)
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.