AITC is one of the leading football charities in the country and now runs more than 60 different projects across Sussex, working with upwards of 46,000 people in the last 12 months alone.
AITC uses the popularity of football and Brighton & Hove Albion to encourage people to engage in its work and take part in its sessions, with the charity largely focusing on getting people active, helping people lead healthier lives, and raising aspirations and academic achievement.
And research has shown AITC’s amazing work is having a positive impact on the local community worth more than £28 million a year.
As part of the social and economic impact report commissioned by the football club, experts at Marshal Regen Ltd and the University of Chichester also investigated the financial benefits of AITC’s work; it found the charity was delivering tens of millions of pounds of positive benefit to people in Brighton and Hove and the wider Sussex region every year.
AITC invests around £3million a year delivering its projects, so the charity is creating an astonishing £8.84 of social value for every £1 it receives in grants or donations.
Estimates of its impact are based on calculating the knock-on effect of AITC’s work, and the £28 million annual figure represents the minimum impact, given that many of the benefits created by AITC are long-term and may only become fully apparent many years later.
Nevertheless, the annual figure of almost £30 million confirms AITC’s reputation as one of the leading local charities and football community schemes in the UK.
Matt Dorn, the charity’s chief executive, was proud of the findings.
He said, “Everyone at the charity is absolutely determined to have a positive influence on the local community and to make sure our work has the maximum impact possible, so it is brilliant to see exactly how much that impact is worth.
“So much of our work is only possible as a result of the generosity of our funders and supporters, so it is great for them to see that for every £1 they donate to us, we can generate almost £9 worth of social benefit.”
Albion fans can show their support for AITC this International Day of Charity by following the charity on social media, either at @AlbionintheComm on Twitter, at @AlbionintheCommunity on Instagram, or searching for Albion in the Community on Facebook.
Alternatively, they can support the charity’s work by signing up for one of AITC’s fundraising events; the charity currently has 10k, half marathon, and marathon places available to anyone keen to raise money for AITC.
More information on AITC’s fundraising is on the charity’s website.