Club Doncaster Foundation reflects on a fantastic Community Day last season, as plans come together for 24/25

The Foundation hosted their Community Day during the final stages of last season, during the double header fixtures of Doncaster Rovers and Doncaster Rovers Belles. 

The Community Day gave fans the opportunity to speak with Foundation staff and participants about the variety of sessions and activities delivered on a weekly basis, to help them understand and learn more about the charity itself and what impact projects and programmes have on the local community.

A vast array of free activities were available for fans of all ages, around the footprint of the ground and inside the concourses. 

Club Doncaster Sports College opened their doors for tours of their facilities within the Eco-Power Stadium, for those who were interested in the next stages of their studies. 

The Fit Forces participants had their own stall along with army vehicles on show for fans to have their pictures with, while learning about the project. 

The health & wellbeing team offered free health checks to fans including blood pressure checks, while also giving people the opportunity to make their own smoothie, all while riding a bike.

Our youth engagement team were on hand with a variety of fun activities for all ages. From football skills and drills, fun multisport activities and a huge climbing wall for the more adventurous. 

There were donation points around the ground with our fantastic volunteers for fans to donate unwanted clothes, food bank donations and buckets to help us raise vital funds to help support our vast array of projects.

In hospitality, our volunteers and staff were selling raffle tickets for fans, as another boost to raising vital funds. 

Former Doncaster Rovers player, Tommy Rowe was presented with the PFA Community Champion award, ahead of kick off, to recognise the support and commitment he’s given within the community over the 23/24 season. 

Participants from a number of our inclusion sessions also got the chance to be flagbearers as the teams made their way onto the pitch.

Half time also saw the presentation of the Premier League Community Captain award, that celebrates people at the heart of the Premier League funded programmes, for an individuals commitment to football and the local community. Long standing employee, Mark Cooper, was the recipient of the award, having being an integral part of the PL Kicks programme since it first started.

It wasn’t just activities throughout the Rovers fixture that took place. The annual Junior Takeover Day ran alongside the day too.

Children from a number of partner schools were in attendance after successfully applying for a job role within the matchday and took on a variety of roles throughout the club, as they learnt the ropes of their fellow mentors, getting a look behind-the-scenes on how a standard matchday operates, with a once in a lifetime experience, before being presented with their certificates by Rovers player, Luke Molyneux. 

Following the Rovers game, the Belles took to the stage, with even more projects on show. 

Girls football teams from a number of Foundation partners schools across Doncaster, were invited down as part of the Premier League Kit Launch scheme earlier in the year, where they got to be flag bearers as the Belles entered the pitch. 

Players were also escorted by participants from the first Women’s Health Hub project, specifically for women who are perimenopausal. 

Both sets of teams wore specially designed Foundation t-shirts during their warm ups, as another nod to the Community Day. 

Speaking of the success of day, Foundation CEO, John Davis said: “The Community Day was a great opportunity to showcase what we do across Doncaster. 

“I believe we were the first CCO in the country to do a men’s & women’s takeover this season, which is something that we are incredibly proud about and we’re really happy with the support we got from the fans, the owners, managers and players, across both teams. 

“It was fantastic to see so many fans interacting with our activities, taking advantage of the ticket offers provided by the club, more people at the stadium and providing a better understanding of what we do on a daily basis to help more people and improve more people’s lives.”

Looking ahead to future community day events, John said: “We want to take this momentum into next season, we want to be bigger and better, engage with more fans, get more people involved and increase awareness of our services.

 “We want people to know that we’re a community club, here in Doncaster, delivering 7 days a week, 364 days a year, continuing to support Doncaster to become a healthier, better connected, inclusive City.

“We’re already discussing plans for our next Community Day and look forward to offering even more to fans of both Rovers and Belles within the new 24/25 season.”

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