Double amputee James Lyon, who initially signed up to play football with Exeter City Community Trust and has gone on to volunteer for the charity and coach its Parasports team, has been recognised as a Community Hero as part of the EFL’s Community Weekend.
To mark his contribution to the organisation, James spent time at the Cliff Hill Training Ground where he joined Kev Nicholson and other members of the management team to take part in a training session.
James is one of the local heroes from EFL Clubs who are being recognised and celebrated for the impact they make in their communities as part of the EFL’s Community Weekends, taking place from Saturday, February 22 to Sunday, March 3.
Across the period, Clubs, managers and players will acknowledge the vital work that community staff and volunteers deliver 365 days per year and Community Heroes will be honoured by special visits from players and through matchday activities.
Danny Harris, head of services for Exeter City Community Trust, says: “This is a very welcome accolade for James, who gives so much to support our Parasports groups. He’s an important part of our team and has given so much to help our parasports players over the last seven years or so.
Trevor Birch, CEO of the EFL, said: “Community is a fundamental part of the EFL and its 72 Clubs’ identity. The work undertaken by Clubs has a hugely positive impact on the participants of the various programmes and in the towns and cities where people live.
“Football Clubs are trusted in their communities, and this can help to remove barriers for accessing support. Clubs are successfully addressing challenges linked to health, wellbeing, education and employment as well as helping to keep communities connected. We look forward to celebrating and recognising this incredible work in front of match-going fans during the Community Weekends.”
Debbie Cook, Director of Community at the EFL, said: “EFL Club Charities engage more than 1 million people in our communities all year round. To be able to showcase the Club community work as a collective and acknowledge the work of participants and programme leaders -many of whom are volunteers – really shows the scope and impact this vital work plays in supporting local fans and residents.”
The EFL Community Weekends build on the success of the recent EFL Week of Action in November – where the League and its Clubs shone a light on the significant social impact Club community work has on towns and cities in England and Wales. This was valued at over £1.24 billion a season in the latest community impact report found here.
During the 2023/24 season, EFL Football Club charities delivered 438,033 sessions across 801,661 hours with an average of 6,084 sessions and 11,134 hours of support per Club.
For more information on the EFL Community Weekends and the impact of EFL Club community work please visit www.efl.com.