Community Champions

What events of the last few weeks have shown is how important football clubs are in their communities. Last week I attended an excellent, inspiring event at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough where the Professional Footballers Association, working with the TUC, launched 'Go On Boro', an initiative to increase access to internet facilities and digital skills. It is a critical campaign. Smart use of the world wide web can not only save around £570 per week for the average family, as the launch heard from a Community Learning Champion, Kim Gallagher, social media can be an incredibly effective way of tackling exclusion and isolation for people with mobility issues - such as those with disabilities or long-term illnesses.

The role of the Football Club and the PFA is critical - time and time again people at the conference spoke about the 'hook' that the club provides. Talk about Middlesbrough FC in that part of the world and people tune in. The club and the players and ex-players associated with this initiative deserve considerable credit and the campaign will have a stronger impact from their involvement.

It is inevitable that there is a contrast to that very positive role of Middlesbrough to the decisions taken recently by the region's two Premier League clubs. People may have different view about providers of high interest loans, but opinions from the former Bishop of Durham to Citizens Advice Bureaux show those organisations who charge unjustifiable, exorbitant interest rates for providing loans to vulnerable, low-income families do not rate highly in any morality scale. Newcastle United's decision to accept Wonga as its main shirt sponsor, despite ongoing commitment from Virgin Money, has left a very bad taste in the mouths of many fans and has attracted protests from trade unions, politicians and communities alike.

Similarly, the appointment of Paolo Di Canio as Head Coach of Sunderland is a major blow to the reputation of a club highly regarded for its work in and with the community in which it is based and internationally. It has a history of contributing positively to the anti-racism agenda and has even hosted a TUC anti-racism event, donating 1000 tickets to the refugee groups that attended. At a time when there is current activity by the far right English Defence League this decision is massively out of touch with the sensitivities of the community of Sunderland.

Individual footballers are frequently told they are 'role models'; that young people look up to them so they must 'set an example'. This is often a tough challenge for highly-paid, often under-educated young men. Given the prominence of the football clubs in the community, the same responsibility should fall on them too.

Damage has been done, but Sunderland can help to redress that by working with anti-racist and anti-fascist groups to promote equality and diversity in the City. While Newcastle can and should take its important community role to support financial awareness and even think about a NUFC credit union.

Kevin Rowan

Head of Organisation and Services

TUC