Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation – Boro’s official charitable arm – was today announced as one of ten sports-based projects across the UK to receive funding to tackle extremism from the Home Office’s Building a Stronger Britain Together (BSBT) programme.
The charity has been awarded £50,000 for their work uniting people from all different communities through education, cultural and sporting activities. The project will reach 1,500 people.
The award is part of a wider announcement of £400,000 to ten sports-related projects across the country made by Baroness Williams, Home Office Minister for Countering Extremism, at an event held at St Andrew’s stadium in Birmingham today (Friday 22 June).
Announcing the funding, Baroness Williams, Minister for Countering Extremism, said:
“The work that Middlesbrough are doing to bring people from a wide range of backgrounds together shows that sport has a uniquely powerful way to break down barriers and provide a common platform to unite us all.
“This is why Building a Stronger Britain Together is providing funding to organisations to strengthen our communities so that they can stand against those who seek to divide us with extremist views.”
Other groups receiving funding include England Netball and football club foundations across the country.
Commenting on the announcement, Paul South, Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation, said:
“We’re delighted to be part of the BSBT network.
“Our goal is to use the power of the football club badge to raise aspirations and change lives in the local community.
“One of our core values is community cohesion: we aim to bring together individuals from all over the region, irrespective of their age, background or ethnicity. We strive to provide an environment which makes everyone feel welcome, with the hope of reaching more and more people every year.”
They join a network of more than 160 organisations who have received support from BSBT since it was set up in 2015 as part of the government’s counter-extremism strategy.
It supports civil society and community organisations who work to create more resilient communities, stand up to extremism in all its forms and offer vulnerable individuals a positive alternative.
The BSBT network includes grassroots campaigns that bring together young people from segregated communities, build resilience to extremism and challenge extremist narratives.
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Notes to editors:
- Building a Stronger Britain Together is a partnership between Government and civil society across England and Wales. It seeks to bring people together to build stronger, more resilient communities, tackle extremism in all its forms, and offer people a positive alternative regardless of race, faith, sexuality, age and gender. To find out more visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/building-a-stronger-britain-together