Alan Sefton on 25 years in the Community

As part Arsenal in the Community's 25th anniversary celebrations the man in charge of the department, Alan Sefton, spoke to the Official Matchday Programme to reflect on 25 years of achievement, and look ahead to the next 25.

Alan, how did you first get involved with Arsenal?
"Back in 1985 I worked for Sport England with responsibility for football in the London area. At the time there was the Action Sports Programme, which was brought in after the Brixton Riots of 1981. I was running that inner city sports programme - basically sports leaders getting people from the inner cities involved in sport. One of the projects I had was trying to get this into sports clubs, such as Arsenal."

How was the community department born?
"I approached Arsenal, who were my local club, and they were one of the first takers on the programme - they agreed to appoint a Community Liaison Officer. I knew Vic Akers, who had been working in the local area, and coaching at Arsenal's Centre of Excellence. He also had a background in local schools work, he was an Islington boy and he was ex-pro, so he ticked all the boxes."

What were the initial aims of the Action Sports Programme?
"When we came into Arsenal we looked at two things. Firstly the facilities that the Club had. At that time they had the sports centre at the Clock End which wasn't used a great deal. It was originally for the team to train on, but usage really dropped off when the Club got the facilities in London Colney. There was some schoolboy training there, and isolated events, but the first thing we decided was to get greater use out of the sports centre.

"The second thing we did was to set up an Action Sport Team as part of the community programme, mainly focussing on young unemployed people and training them as sports leaders, getting them working in the community. Basically using the facilities at the Club, then taking the training out into the community. It was when I proposed that scheme to Ken Friar that he said that I better come in and work for the Club.

"That's when the department really started to grow. It was 1986 when I joined, just when George Graham took over. The soccer schools, then the bowls programme was set up and it went from there. The sports hall was resurfaced, then a couple of years later, when the South Stand was rebuilt, the sports hall was remodeled entirely. The department has grown quickly ever since."

Were your proposals to set up a community department at Arsenal ever met with any resistance?
"Ken Friar was very open to it. The Club already knew Vic as well and there's no doubt that made it easier. There was a gradual feeling of the way after that. Don Howe was manager at the time, then George Graham came in and I remember insisting when I came in that George about it and was in favour. Back then managers used to operate in the more traditional football ways.

"But we've always been allowed to get on with the work and had the backing of the Club and the hierarchy. Mr Friar at the beginning, then people like David Dein, and now Ivan Gazidis have all been very supportive. Ivan has led me to believe the department should expand too."

What achievements are you most proud of over the last 25 years?
"I would say the major achievement is the way we have integrated into the services and everyday life of Islington. I think we are now seen as making a considerable input into a wide range of areas - education, social inclusion, work in the estates and schools and so on.

"Another thing to be proud of is the way the Double Club education programme that we launched in 1998 has developed into a nation-wide scheme. That's now become an accepted part of the education system, and has been rolled out by other clubs. It's also extended from literacy and numeracy to many other areas, including languages.

"Also we have made great strides internationally, and we're involved in numerous countries abroad.
Then there's our trainee scheme which has been very successful, it started just after I came on. That still exists today and is going very strongly. I'm very proud that many of our full-time staff today have come through that trainee scheme.

"Finally, the founding of our charitable trust, nearly 20 years ago, which has raised more than £2million. That also led to the introduction of Arsenal's Charity of the Season, which is now in its seventh year.
Our charity football team is very popular, and a lot of thanks must go to the team's first manager, the late Bill Graves, and Brian Hornsby who now manages the team."

The department has continued to grow year on year. How many staff are involved in it now?
"We have about 20 full-time staff at the Club, but if you count all our coaches, educators and so on then it runs into hundreds. Every programme has grown from small beginnings, but at the centre of it all, the core of the department hasn't changed. Perhaps the big trend has been latching things onto football, getting people learning through their interest in Arsenal.

"For me the secret of the success is the people. I'm very lucky to have great staff in the department, and as I said, many of them have come through the trainee scheme, while many others have been here 15, 20 years or more.

"So the department is miles bigger now of course, than it was at the beginning, and the ideas have changed too - marketing, income streams and so on. In those days when we started up, the Club didn't have a day-to-day relationship with the fans. This was the beginning of the Club really wanting to reach out to the fans, and into the community."

The department runs a diverse range of initiatives. What determines your next project?
"Football has changed and gone more global, and to an extent we are just reflecting that. We are also in the fortunate position of having so many good ideas presented to us by outside agencies.  We can choose from a very good range of projects."

Do you see more relevance for the department in the money-driven world of football, or do you worry it will become marginalised?
"It's all about realising the power of football, the influence of football and the part it plays in people's lives is no less now than it was 25 years ago. That power enables you to do those other things away from the sport. As long as football has this huge grip on people's imaginations and loyalties, community will have a part to play."

What are the department's challenges over the next 25 years?
"I think there will be more and more programmes - the work will probably double over the next 25 years. The privilege, and also the responsibility, of working in this sector for Arsenal is that people, from all walks of life, want to be associated with the Club and feel that Arsenal can, somehow, enhance what they are doing.

"I believe that football does community work better than any other commercial sector. Point me out another one that contributes more. They might give more money, but the level of involvement is difficult to beat. Look at the big corporations, banks, supermarkets, fast food chains. They have massive turnovers, but Arsenal really do get involved in the nitty gritty. It's not just about money, it's about being at the heart and soul of the community."

This interview first appeared in the Official Matchday Programme. You can subscribe to the Matchday Programme by calling 08700 20 20 20.

[Tuesday, February 23, 2010]

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