Accrington Stanley Community Trust (ASCT) have launched an inclusive matchday experience thanks to a Premier League grant.
The ASCT have unveiled a new community scheme to enhance engagement with the local Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) community.
The ‘Stanley Together' project, will see the creation of a new BAME focused fan-group and several outreach fan-engagement programmes.
The Trust will work with local schools, community centres and Accrington's new £9million Raza Jamia Masjid mosque to deliver a range of workshops to educate people on the history of Accrington Stanley, and inspire them to attend matches at the Wham Stadium.
The project has benefited from an £18,530 grant from the Premier League Fans Fund, the investment of which will also enable the Community Trust to extend their existing Junior Redz young supporters' scheme, as well as improve their pre-match fan zone and support the up-skilling of a cohort of volunteers.
The ‘Stanley Together' project is the latest stage of a new long-term fan engagement strategy at Stanley, which included the development of a brand new 1,100-seater family stand, the Studio.co.uk Eric Whalley Stand, which is due to be fully operational in December 2018.
Martin Fearon, Chief Executive Officer of Accrington Stanley Community Trust, said: “We're thrilled to have received this grant from the Premier League Fans Fund and we thank them for supporting us on this new project.
“With their investment, we plan to tackle issues of exclusion, increase community cohesion and ensure that people from the local BAME community feel welcome at the club.”
The Premier League Fans Fund is a commitment from the Premier League to fund projects and organisations which improve the relationship between fans and their clubs, the way football supporters engage with each other and fans' experience of the game.