The EFL Trust have now engaged more than 150 young people in paid work via the government’s Kickstart Scheme. ….and it’s just the start. After the challenges of the last 12 months, young people between the ages of 16 and 24 have found employment at EFL clubs and their club community organisations (CCOs) up and down the country. New roles have also been advertised at Brentford FC and Brentford FC Community Sports Trust.

The jobs provided under the Kickstart scheme are varied and offer opportunities for those involved to gain a first step on the employment ladder. Roles include Media and Communications Assistants, Graphic Designers, Football and Education Administrators, as well as Sports Coach Assistants all of which are all currently occupied by those involved. Across the UK, the Kickstart Scheme has now created more than 200,000 approved jobs, with over 20,000 starts between 4,000 employers.

The EFL Trust is the charitable arm of the EFL. It was established in 2008 to oversee the work of EFL's CCOs, such as Brentford FC Community Sports Trust. It is responsible for distributing core funding from the Premier League and The PFA to each CCO and highlights community work done by clubs across the country. More than 1,300 young people will have the opportunity to work in an EFL club or CCO as part of the Kickstart scheme, all starting their roles before the end of 2021.

Mike Evans, CEO of the EFL Trust, said: “Via the EFL network, we are providing more than 1,300 Kickstart placements to young unemployed people at 65 EFL Clubs across the country as part of our commitment to supporting young people into employment – one of the groups hit hardest by unemployment during the pandemic. Through schemes like Kickstart, we are helping the next generation of workers to gain vital experience in a professional environment in positions from grounds maintenance to sports coaching and administration.”

Minister for Employment Mims Davies MP said: “This is a fantastic milestone and importantly, each and every single one of these jobs is a potentially life changing, vital opportunity for the new recruits – giving them the key skills, experience and confidence needed to thrive in work. As more take on exciting roles with clubs across the country, our Plan for Jobs is continuing to create new opportunities, supporting people to retrain and getting jobseekers into work as we push to build back better.”