Coronavirus Disease, an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.
Since the pandemic began in early January 2020, Grassroots clubs all over the country were deeply effected by the disease. With a four month closure given by the government, this had a huge impact on the club and also on its academy players. On average since the start of lockdown, grassroots football clubs’ income dropped by a whopping 46% on average, with some not being able to reboot after the lockdown. 10% unfortunately had to close their gates.
When the lockdown first began in March 2020, Binfield FC and the wider community prepared to lock up their gates and doors, isolating themselves from the virus as the country went into national lockdown for the first time. After months of hard work within the NHS and from around the world, the UK finally opened its doors again back to normality in June 2020.
After a summer of elite sport and normality, Binfield FC started to prepare for it’s FA Cup run against Westbury United. When the squad and staff started to get excited, the UK locked down again, sparking outrage within the grassroots community as the government weren’t supporting small volunteer run clubs, which lead to administration within local communities around Binfield.
When the effects of the pandemic began, the Binfield FC community came together to help prevent the collapse of the club, and helped out in every-way possible. This showcased a huge community engagement presence between the club and it’s community, as they came together to help keep the club alive.
From painting the dugouts to scrubbing tables in the clubhouse, the community united in showing their efforts during the pandemic as the country began to lock down.
“They had nothing to do with the club, but felt that during Lockdown they wanted to give something back into their community, and there’s people within the football club who have been out helping the elderly people as well…” – Binfield FC Chairman Bob Bacon
During unprecedented times, The Binfield FC Community showed a real passion towards community engagement as they all came together to help one another out during the global pandemic, and also showed the wider community that anything can be possible if you work together.
Community engagement is the process of people working collaboratively with other groups of people affiliated by a special interest, topic or proximity. With this term in mind, the Binfield FC Community showcased a strong collaborative interest into the club and also towards the wider community as people needed help where it was needed most, and Binfield FC and its community helped towards that. Whether that be delivering food to the elderly, collecting prescriptions or even mowing the grass, the community worked as a team to ensure that everyone was safe during the pandemic and also that everyone who needed help, received it.
Overall, Binfield FC and it’s community should be extremely proud with the way they handled things during the pandemic, and also the exceptional work that was put in place for the community during the lockdowns that the UK government incorporated in the early months of 2020. Not only did the club show real spirit towards its local community, but also the locals helped keep the club alive during its unprecedented months of banned football, which not only brought together both efforts from the community but also provided a real engagement relationship between the club and it’s locals.
Binfield FC's Community Engagement During The COVID-19 Pandemic. 