At Hello Finch we’re delighted to announce that founder, Jemima Bird, has been invited onto the Board of Trustees at the Football Foundation, the UK’s biggest sports charity.
Jemima brings more than two decades of high-level marketing experience to the Board, which is responsible for the governance and strategic direction of the organisation.
Football Foundation Chairman Gary Hoffman said: “I am delighted to welcome Jemima Bird to the Football Foundation Board. Jemima brings considerable experience and key skills which will be invaluable to the Foundation and its mission. Her passion for football and for how it can support the most disadvantaged sections of society makes her an excellent appointment.
“It has been an extremely good summer for English football generally, and with renewed impetus and funding from our funding partners, the future of our national game looks even brighter, especially among those communities that might be vulnerable to inequality and exclusion. We want everyone to benefit from our national game”
Jemima Bird said: “Being able to marry my love of football with my professional skills for the good of the community game is hugely exciting.
“Football can be a powerful vehicle for progress and change. I strongly believe in the Foundation’s goal of ensuring that as many people as possible can enjoy all the life-changing benefits that this great sport can bring – from leadership and communication skills, to improved health and self-esteem.
“Through the Football Foundation, the Premier League and The FA work together with the Government in a very constructive way to support the most deprived communities across the country. I am really looking forward to joining my fellow Trustees to help them continue with this important work.”
The Football Foundation
Funded by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Football Foundation is one of the largest sports charities in the World. It is the only example whereby a national Government has partnered with a nation’s leading sport to create a public/private partnership to support local communities through sport. Between them, the Funding Partners contribute c. £72 million per year towards the development of community football facilities across the country and other football development programmes to sustain the game at the community level. The Foundation uses this funding to leverage a further c. £42 million per year from local authorities (LA), schools and other organisations, which means that c. £114 million is being invested each year into local community football facility/football development projects. Since the Foundation launched in 2000, it has:
• Supported 17,929 grassroots sport projects with grants worth £638m.
• Used this to leverage an additional £841m in partnership funding.
• Thereby delivering schemes with a total project cost of almost £1.5bn.
• Supported 3,251 facility projects with grants worth £514m.
• 723 artificial grass pitches.
• 2,999 natural grass pitches.
• 1,046 changing facilities.
• 182 multi-use games areas (MUGAs).
Last season, there was an average increase in football participation of 11% at facilities enhanced with Football Foundation grants. There was an increase in multi-sport participation of 12% at those same sites. This builds on similar double-digit increases over previous years.
The Foundation’s Board of Trustees is made up of:
Gary Hoffman (Independent Chairman)
Jemima Bird
Martin Glenn
Charlotte Leslie
Peter McCormick OBE
Jack Pearce
Jennie Price CBE
Richard Scudamore
