A Foundation for success
We are proud to be the EFL’s Community Club.
As our official Football Club Charity, Port Vale Foundation continues to use the power of the badge to change lives and have a positive impact on our local community.
We are a club that is proud to sit at the heart of the community and, through the Foundation, have delivered our community strategy this year, supporting people with across a range of programmes that support health, education and feeling better connected to their local place.
Those supported by our programmes have ranged in age from 0 to 99, thanks to the Bescura Family Hubb and Older People’s programme, and everything in between. Our research found that 96% of participants felt that activities had a positive impact on them in some way - including 92% who said it was positive for their physical wellbeing, 93% for mental wellbeing, 83% for their personal development and 90% for their sense of community.
We’ve worked with thousands of people again this season, and here are just a few of the many highlights!
EFL League Two Community Project of the Season
In April 2025, Port Vale Foundation were awarded League Two Project of the Season for our Baby Bank initiative. Over the last 12 months, the project has supported 1,526 families through the work based at Bescura Family Hubb. This means that 4,800 children have been supported with clothes, prams, moses baskets, nappies and other essential items.
The project has provided essential items to local families in need in Burslem and wider Stoke-on-Trent area. The project was recognised for its unique engagement of the local community and meeting essential local need.
Port Vale Foundation PAN Disability Squad – Winners of the Staffordshire FA Ability Counts Championship
Port Vale PAN Disability Squad were crowned Champions of the Staffordshire Ability Counts League this year, beating off competition from the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Stoke City. Head Coach, Josh Jones, led the team to the top of the table over the course of a long season. The group also had a visit from Carol Shanahan OBE and Darren Moore, and have developed remarkably as a young squad. They now move into the Premier Division for next season and are already looking forward to it!
Port Vale Foundation Football & Education Programme Winners of CEFA League
We’re so proud that our Education Squad 2nd Team have won CEFA League Central Division 5 and are Champions! They will attend the upcoming League Two Play-Off Final at Wembley to receive their medals!
Families
Further to the Baby Bank project, our Family Hubb, Bescura has continued to grow and develop this year, offering direct support to families in need and providing baby, toddler and parental support for young people up to the age of 13 years. We have seen almost 1,000 families attend our regular parent and carer sessions through our baby and toddler sessions.
Our community has been supported with essential life skills training over the season, in particular our First Aid courses for both adults and children. Some 290 school children have attended our First Aid Superhero sessions at local schools and, in the school holidays, 170 adults have attended Baby First Aid Awareness sessions and 401 adults have been trained in Emergency First Aid at work.
Schools
We’ve also worked in 17 local primary schools, with thousands of young people, to support learning in writing, reading and maths. We have delivered the Premier League Primary Stars programme throughout those schools as well as supporting PE lessons, after school clubs and Teacher CPD.
We have competed in various EFL events too, as well as the Utilita Kids Cup and Girls Cup, and provided opportunities for hundreds of school children from the local area to attend games with our match ticket incentives.
Education and Employability
Our successful Football & Education programme grew again this year, with 44 learners now on the programme, expected to rise again from September 2025. The programme has now grown to four squads, working in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent College and Blythe Bridge High School. Learners have taken part in full-time education, gaining a BTEC in Sports Coaching whilst training and playing against other colleges in the CEFA League, across a range of divisions.
We have developed a fantastic relationship with City Learning Trust this year too, supporting this Alternative Provision with weekly sessions and visits for young people who are not in mainstream education to Vale Park and matches.
Disability and Youth Engagement
This year, we’ve delivered a range of youth engagement activities, covering youth clubs, e-sports clubs and our long-standing Premier League funded Kicks programme. Hundreds of young people have been supported to grow confidence, make new friends and learn life skills. They have also experienced opportunities they wouldn’t have had the chance to without our programmes.
We also completed a successful trip to Kenya, taking a group of young volunteers out to some of the poorest parts of the world, developing new skills, making new friends and taking in the experience of a lifetime.
Health and Wellbeing
The world famous Golden Valiants have continued to develop and grow this year; we are now delivering three weekly sessions to over 300 older people and have grown our Memory Lane Dementia group, which supports people living with Dementia and their carers.
Our ‘Every Girls Does Count’ programme has supported the mental wellbeing of teenage girls in Stoke-on-Trent, supporting them with confidence, coping strategies and building their own network of friends. We’ve worked with three cohorts of young girls in different settings, including schools, community and here at Vale Park.
Our ladies-only activities have supported hundreds of local women to become active, build confidence and feel fitter and healthier in their local community. Our Ladies Netball group have also received new funding to continue their programme further next season!
Key Events
Foundation Fixture v Grimsby
Just under two weeks ago, we held our first-ever Foundation Fixture, with a spotlight on the range of programmes we deliver in the local community. We welcomed participants from across our activities to be mascots, flag bearers and showcased much of our work throughout the day, including a family party before kick-off, Walking Football players on the pitch at half-time and celebrating all of our achievements pre-match. Over 100 participants from our programmes were part of the successful day!
Christmas Appeal
Community Iftar and Ramadan Celebrations
We held the third Community Iftar event here at Port Vale this year, delivered by Port Vale Foundation in partnership with Unity FC and the local Muslim Community Steering Group, who were instrumental in ensuring we grew the event, connected to the local community.
Vale Park Community Campus
Almost £2.5m of funding has been secured to support the development of Vale Park Community Campus. Over the next three seasons, we will see the redevelopment of Sproson Park, which will include improvements to access, more sports facilities, a community building, SEND playground and much more. This is an exciting new community development for the club!