Watford Football Club is launching a new health and wellbeing project aimed at supporters to be managed and delivered by their official charity, Watford FC Community Sports and Education Trust, supported by the Premier League Fans Fund. This project will be known as Hornets Together.

The Premier League Fans Fund provides grants to support football clubs at all levels of the game to strengthen connections between them, their fans, and local communities.

The fund supports a range of fan-focused and fan-led projects, helping to foster a sense of belonging through meaningful engagement. This includes schemes for under-represented groups, to further develop an inclusive and welcoming matchday experience for everyone.

Hornets Together will connect Watford FC fans with access to free monthly face-to-face mental and physical health workshops held at the stadium, training ground, and a host of other venues in the local community.

This new scheme will be led by the Trust’s Health and Wellbeing Project Officer (Adults), Thomas Hosier, who also works across the ever-popular Shape Up programme. Ahead of the launch, Thomas said:

“We know there are continuing challenges with people’s physical and mental health, and we also know that football has the powerful ability to engage and inspire people like little else does. That is why we are thankful to the Premier League Fans Fund for giving us the opportunity to engage our supporters in this way. We look forward to starting the project with our first supporters’ event in July.”

Open to 120 professional football club community organisations in the Premier League, English Football League, National League, Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship, the Premier League Fans Fund builds on the Premier League and clubs’ commitment to ensuring long-term engagement with supporters.

Premier League Director of Community, Nick Perchard, said:

“Fans are the lifeblood of football and their commitment to, and involvement with, their local club is essential to the continued success of the game at every level.

“Through the Premier League Fans Fund we are investing in projects that will enhance connections between clubs and fans, whilst also delivering even more community impact. By supporting clubs across England and Wales, from both the men’s and women’s game, to develop projects that respond directly to the needs of their fans, we can help to ensure that football offers a fantastic experience for everyone.”

Premier League funding supports projects that respond to local need, and which aim to improve the match day environment for fans and/or residents, address fan behaviour, and community impact such as the cost-of-living crisis, build upon a club’s heritage and engage and support underrepresented fan groups (disability, ethnicity, LGBTQ+, women and girls).

Delivery is often themed around tackling inequalities to create community cohesion, covering areas like equality, diversity, and inclusion, mental health and wellbeing, physical health and wellbeing, providing education and training opportunities, supporting employability, and/or sustainability.

Funding is flexible to empower professional football clubs, and their community organisations, to develop fan-focused and fan-led projects that respond directly to the needs of their local community.

The Premier League Fans Fund is administered through the Premier League Charitable Fund.

To find out more about the Premier League Fans Fund, please visit www.premierleague.com/plcf

The first Hornets Together event will be hosted at Vicarage Road Stadium on Thursday 25th July 2024 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Across the evening all attendees will be given a stadium tour which includes visiting the home dressing room as well as engaging in conversations and understanding the provisions available to supporters linked to physical and mental health. If you complete the following form and attend on the evening you will be entered into a prize draw with the chance to win the new 24/25 home shirt. The event is free for all Watford FC supporters, who can sign up here.

For more information or enquiries please contact Thomas Hosier on thomas.hosier@watfordfc.com