Fulham FC Foundation has announced a new partnership with UK charity Carers Trust to support unpaid carers across south-west London.
The initiative aims to help carers take breaks from their caring responsibilities through a range of activities designed to build connections and improve their wellbeing.
Amongst the programmes announced is a 13-week course offering people aged 16 and over the chance to explore careers in football and coaching.
Mathew Doolan, head of business development and communications at Fulham FC Foundation, said: “The approach is to work with the existing delivery model the Foundation has.
“We engage with 12,000 people each season across the variety of different programmes we run in south-west London.
“While there might be specific events we put on in the future, initially we’ll be finding opportunities to offer carers support within our existing model of delivery.”
The partnership announcement comes as the number of unpaid carers in the UK continues to rise.
Carers UK’s latest report found that 3.33million people have left their jobs to care for loved ones, equivalent to around 1,500 people every day.
Around one in five employees in the UK now has caring responsibilities, a 150% increase since 2019.
Sara Butts, head of corporate and business development at Carers Trust, said: “Unpaid carers make an enormous contribution to their families, communities and wider society, yet many miss out on opportunities to focus on their own wellbeing.”
The Fulham FC Foundation hopes the partnership will also raise awareness by working closely with local support networks.
Laura Everton, insights and impact manager at Fulham FC Foundation, said: “Part of the work is raising awareness amongst the people we already engage with.
“The partnership with Carers Trust is to connect with local carers’ network hubs across south-west London so they can learn about the activities we have and start attending our regular delivery, as well as events like the Football Festival.”
Other activities planned through the partnership include a football festival, a stadium tour and social day for adult carers at Fulham FC, and access to an inclusive football and wellbeing programme.
Everton said young carers are often unaware of their role or not openly talking about it and that the Foundation hopes to change that.
“One of our biggest outcomes is raising awareness of what a carer or young carer actually does, using local sport to help normalise that conversation. We want to remove the stigma around those areas while also providing support for young carers,” she said.
She added the partnership is backed by local data showing that around 15,000 people in south west London have identified themselves as unpaid carers through their GP practice.
Doolan said: “These are people that require support but are hard to reach. Sharing networks is going to bring positive results for the wider community.”
He added the Fulham FC Foundation hopes the collaboration will have a lasting impact on the community.
Featured image credit: Carers Trust
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