For Falkirk: Notes from the Foundation
By Derek Allison, Chief Executive, Falkirk Foundation
For 16 years, Falkirk Foundation has been supporting people across our community, including many Falkirk FC supporters and their families. That is something I am proud of, and something we are committed to continuing.
The Foundation was established to help deliver the football club’s community engagement and community football work. Our team has carried that responsibility forward, creating opportunities for people to take part and get support when they need it.
I am starting this blog because I want more people to understand that work. As CEO, I also want to be honest about the challenges involved and what we are doing to address them.
What the work means
Centre Forward is a good place to start. In the last cohort, 20 of the 25 young people completed the programme. These are young people with additional support needs, working towards qualifications and their next steps in education, training or employment.
The young people deserve credit for their own effort. Our team’s contribution is the support that helps them get there: taking time to understand each person, finding a pace that works and offering encouragement when things become difficult. That care is a large part of why I am proud to lead the Foundation.
Around 1,500 people engage with us each week and more than 6,000 over a year. Our football pathways include around 650 players across 42 teams, alongside our schools and community sessions.
Football matters in its own right. People should have the chance to play, enjoy themselves and be part of a team. Our Down’s Syndrome, autism and para football programmes help make that possible for people who can face barriers to taking part.
For some, the connection with football makes it easier to get involved in our mental health, education and employability programmes. Others come to us with no interest in football at all. They are equally welcome.
Our contribution includes the facilities we develop and maintain. At Woodlands, around 750 people use the facilities each week. Having suitable places for community football and other activities matters to those who rely on them. Keeping those places in good condition takes ongoing investment.
Our work has to respond to what people in Falkirk need and what they tell us they want. Listening to participants and families, alongside our community partners, helps shape the support we offer and where we need to do more.
Our new Centre Circle programme will support whole families, helping them access practical, financial and wellbeing support earlier. It builds on our existing work and the expertise of other organisations, so families can get help without having to work out how all the different services fit together.
As an anchor organisation, we are rooted in Falkirk and committed to the community for the long term. Our relationships with schools, public services and other charities help us respond to local needs. We cannot provide every answer ourselves, so developing those partnerships matters.
We bring external funding into Falkirk for community programmes and facilities. Money awarded for a specific purpose must be used as agreed and in line with the funder’s conditions. Our Board and I are responsible for honouring those commitments and accounting for how it is spent.
The responsibility behind the work
One of the hardest balances in my job is wanting to do more while making sure we can properly support the work we already have. Every new programme needs staff, suitable space and enough funding to deliver it well. It also creates expectations among those taking part.
That means asking difficult questions, even when the need is clear. Can we sustain the work once the initial funding ends? Do we have the capacity, or is another organisation better placed to help? My responsibility is to work through those decisions with our Board and team.
The commitment of staff and volunteers cannot be the answer to every gap in funding or capacity. They deserve proper support too. Protecting their ability to do the job well is part of protecting the quality of what we offer the community.
There have also been challenges arising from decisions taken by the current Board of Falkirk Football Club. These have taken time and attention that I would rather spend developing our work. I am working with our Trustees and advisers to address them through the appropriate channels, while ensuring that the Foundation can continue to fulfil its responsibilities as an independent charity. Our commitment to Falkirk supporters, and our respect for what the Club means to the community, remain unchanged.
What would help us do more
Short-term funding can leave a charity planning its next application while a programme is still getting established. Families need time to build trust, and staff need some certainty about their jobs. Funding arrangements need to recognise that.
The practical costs matter too. Maintaining a pitch, paying for suitable rooms and training staff are all part of delivering a safe, reliable service. They need to be understood alongside the activity people see.
We are broadening support for the Foundation. Our recent Coffee, Cake & Community event brought local businesses together to hear about the work and consider how they could get involved. Building on those conversations is one practical step we can take.
I would ask funders and local and national government to involve community organisations early when designing support, allow realistic delivery costs and provide longer-term certainty where possible. In return, we must show what funding achieves and be open about where we need to improve.
In future posts, I will share more of what people achieve through the Foundation and how we are working through the difficulties behind the scenes. There is a great deal to build on, thanks to our team and everyone who supports the work.
If you have an idea about what your community needs, or would like to help us respond to it, I would like to hear from you. Those conversations should help shape what we do next.
