Millwall Community Trust (MCT) recently joined fellow EFL Club Community Organisations at the Royal British Legion's Battle Back Centre in Lilleshall for an EFL in the Community co-design session exploring how football club charities can better support veterans and their transition into civilian life.
Representing MCT were Employability Hub Co-ordinator Clair Petitt and Employability & Mentoring Officer Duane Ramsay, alongside David and Laura from MCT's Military Veteran programme partner, Military Veteran Football Club (MVFC).
The session brought together organisations involved in developing a potential new veterans programme, providing an opportunity to share existing practice, lived experience and ideas around how the trusted reach of football clubs can help veterans connect with wider support and opportunities.
For MCT, the discussions built naturally upon its existing partnership with MVFC and the veteran community already established around Millwall. This has demonstrated how football can provide an accessible starting point for building relationships, peer support and a sense of belonging, while creating pathways into wider opportunities where these are needed.
Rather than viewing football as the end destination, MCT's contribution focused on how trusted relationships created through football can become a gateway into areas such as employment, training, volunteering, wellbeing support and community participation.
MCT also highlighted the importance of working alongside specialist veteran organisations rather than duplicating existing expertise, with the football club charity helping to connect individuals to the right support based upon their circumstances and ambitions.
Having representatives from MVFC involved directly in the co-design discussions was particularly valuable, ensuring that the experiences and perspectives of veterans themselves were represented alongside MCT's experience of community engagement, employability and progression support.
The Lilleshall event provided an exciting opportunity for MCT and MVFC to contribute their experience to the development of a wider approach that could strengthen the support available to veterans through football club charities.
David Bygate-Pittiglio, Chairman, Military Veteran Football Club said: “We were incredibly honoured to be invited to Lilleshall on Monday as part of our partnership with Millwall Community Trust.
"It was a fantastic opportunity to visit the facilities, learn more about the work of the Royal British Legion and hear about some of the brilliant work being delivered to support veterans through EFL clubs across the country.
"It was also really valuable to share our own experiences and insights from delivering our MVFC sessions and to be part of wider conversations about how football and EFL clubs can continue to bring the Armed Forces community together, create connections and improve the support available to veterans.
"We’re incredibly grateful to have been included and really value the opportunity to build relationships, share experiences and work collaboratively with organisations that share the same passion for supporting our Armed Forces community.”
