Gary Robinson & David Dunwell (Blackburn Rovers Community Trust) present the power of football to integrate
Gary Robinson, CEO of Blackburn Rovers Community Trust and David Dunwell, Deputy CEO of Blackburn Rovers Community Trust are the next confirmed speakers at our 16th EFDN Conference in Breda on 9 & 10 November 2021.
Gary Robinson (CEO) has been working in football for 17 years, working at two professional football clubs (Preston North End and Blackburn Rovers) and heading up these respective community schemes for a cumulative total of over 12 years. Following the clubs relegation from the Premier League, Blackburn Rovers Community Trust was losing significant amounts of money and in January 2013 Gary was therefore brought in to help stem the flow and develop the organisation. Eight years later, Blackburn Rovers Community Trust has more than tripled in scale and continues to increase its impact on the local community.
David Dunwell (Deputy CEO) has been working in football since late 2013, undertaking an 18 month role within Basketball before returning to Blackburn Rovers in 2020. David initially started as a volunteer and has worked his way through the ranks in a variety of roles before undertaking two stints as Deputy CEO, working closely with the CEO to help the organisation develop and grow. Amongst a number of topics David has a particular passion for supporting mental wellbeing, running a small not-for-profit named Rural Respite and will shortly be inducted as a Trustee for Lancashire Mind.
Gary and David will be presenting on the topic of Blackburn Rovers Community Trust and harnessing the power of football to integrate. They will begin by presenting a short overview of the organisation before focusing specifically on the integration work they have delivered within Blackburn with Darwen. Context will be provided to help observers improve their understanding of the club, the geographical area of operation and local challenges, including the demographics of the community. The presentation will then focus on several successful initiatives which have a key aim to integrate diverse communities, challenge stereotypes, share cultural strengths and help local people value diversity. There will be some references to how the organisation continued to function and achieve impact during the pandemic. The session will finish with a short Q&A.
