As the official charity of the club, Derby County Community Trust’s mission has always been clear; to improve lives and communities through sport, physical activity, health and education. This season, this mission has been supported by numerous Derby County Men’s First Team, Women’s First Team and Academy players who have proudly engaged with community programmes.

They have been role models and advocates for the work of the Community Trust in all areas of their work from education to health and beyond. Read about some of the fantastic work of players in the community this year, below.

Prior to heading out on loan for the season Ben Osborn and Jake Rooney paid a visit to one of the Kellogg’s Football Camps delivered at Derby County down at Derby Racecourse Hub. Their presence added great excitement to the day, especially during the ‘Coaches Challenges’, where both players offered expert tips.

In October goalkeeper duo Josh Vickers and Richard O’Donnell alongside Derby County Women’s players Eve Shepherd and Hannah Sparkes visited students at Derby County Community Trust College. The players took part in a Q&A that covered match preparation and staying resilient.

During October half term young footballers in Belper were treated to a memorable experience as Matt Clarke and Liam Thompson made a surprise visit to the Holiday Coaching Club, hosted at Belper Leisure Centre. They spent time chatting with the children, answering questions about life as professional footballers, and even joined in with some of the afternoon matches.

During EFL Week of Action Max Johnstone, Che Thomas and Georgia Stevens joined former Ram Charlie Stevens as part of a Q&A panel at the Trust’s Show Racism the Red Card event. Pupils posed thoughtful questions inspired by their experiences throughout the day, with standout questions earning the reward of a photo opportunity with the players.

Joe Ward and Kayden Jackson spent the evening at a Premier League Kicks session in November. They both got involved in football games and challenges including the kick up challenge and penalties. Premier League Kicks, funded by the Premier League through the Premier League Charitable Fund, uses the power of football and sport to inspire young people to reach their potential.

In the run up to Christmas Bobby Clark and Lars Jorgen-Salvesen supported with the Trust’s Community Meals and Reverse Advent Calendar initiative. The pair served a hot meal and drinks to those who needed it and collected food parcel donations from the community to hand out over the winter months.

In February, the club and trust marked World Cancer Day with the Active Recovery starting XI introduced to the Derby County faithful at the home fixture against Ipswich Town.

Derby County Women players Lucy Jones, Eve Shepherd, Marnie Drake and Georgia Stevens have attended multiple girls football events this season including the local rounds of the Premier League Primary Stars Girls Cup, U16 Girls Football Finals and the Biggest Ever Girls Football Event.  Hannah Ward and Lucy Jones also presented trophies and medals at the East Midlands Regional Rounds of the Premier League Kicks Cup.

Students at Roe Farm Primary School enjoyed an unforgettable World Book Day when Josh Vickers and Owen Eames visited the school to celebrate the joy and importance of reading. The players spent the afternoon taking part in book-themed activities including quizzes and discussions designed to foster pupils’ enthusiasm for reading.

To mark Parkinson’s Awareness Month in April, Joe Ward and Cruz Allen took part in one of Derby County Community Trust’s Parkinson’s Walking Football sessions at Willow’s Sports Centre. The duo went head-to-head in a shooting challenge and match, where Team Ward secured a 4-2 win.

To end the seasons player engagement, second-year scholar Braidy Connell-Webster attended the first ever Switching Formations Celebration Event. This celebrated participants that had completed the 12-week programme aimed at challenging harmful gender stereotypes, building emotional intelligence and encouraging respectful relationships.

As a charity, collaboration is a key element to the Trust’s delivery and each season players become some of our strongest collaborators. Their involvement has amplified programmes, inspired participants and proved that Derby County is the heartbeat of our community.