WE IMPROVE THE LIVES OF OUR COMMUNITY
Everyone deserves the opportunity to live a healthier, happier & more connected life.
At AFC Wimbledon Foundation, we use the power of football, physical activity and community to help people feel healthier, more confident and connected.
From supporting older people to stay active, to helping someone living with Parkinson's keep playing the game they love; from creating safe spaces for young people to bringing generations together - we create opportunities for people to connect, take part and feel they belong.
Because improving lives isn't just about what we deliver.
It's about the difference it makes to the people we work with..
WE HELP PEOPLE STAY ACTIVE AND WELL
Being active can improve more than physical health.
It can provide routine, friendship, confidence and a reason to get out of the house.
Every week, 168 people take part in our health and wellbeing programmes, including Active Ageing, Walking Football and Dons Fit.
Our programmes provide welcoming spaces where people can be active at their own pace, meet others and enjoy being part of a community.
For someone living with a long-term health condition, finding the right activity can make a real difference to everyday life.
WE KEEP PEOPLE CONNECTED
For some people, coming along to a session might be about football or exercise.
For others, it might be about seeing familiar faces, having a conversation and knowing there is somewhere they belong.
Our Parkinson's Walking Football programme brings people together to stay active and enjoy football in a way that works for them. Around 18 people are registered, with typically 8–10 attending each session.
Our Dementia Hub provides a welcoming space where people can take part in activities, socialise and spend time with others. Sessions regularly welcome 8–10 people and are currently at capacity.
And through our Veterans Breakfast, around 18–22 veterans come together each month for food, conversation and connection.
Because sometimes the most important part of a programme is simply knowing that people are there.
WE CREATE SAFE SPACES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Every young person deserves somewhere safe to go, people to talk to and opportunities to be themselves.
Through programmes including Kicks, HAF and our youth activities, we create positive spaces where young people can take part in sport, develop relationships and spend time with others.
During 2025/26, 368 young people took part in Kicks activity during periods when young people were most at risk of anti-social behaviour and crime.
Our sessions also provide opportunities to explore subjects such as kindness, empathy, respect and conflict management.
Football is the starting point.
The relationships and opportunities around it are where the wider impact happens.
WE MAKE FOOTBALL MORE INCLUSIVE
Football should be a game where everyone can find their place.
We create opportunities for women and girls, people with disabilities, older people, people living with health conditions and communities who may face barriers to taking part.
During 2025/26, 101 additional female participants took part in Kicks activity, alongside our Girls Pathway and wider women and girls programmes.
We also brought young people and disabled participants together through inclusive football activity and cross-borough festivals and tournaments.
We want people to see football not as something they are excluded from, but as something they can be part of.
WE BRING GENERATIONS TOGETHER
Community is stronger when people have opportunities to connect across generations.
During the year, young carers visited a care home for a World Cup-themed football activity, while Therapaws (Pet Therapy) joined our Active Ageing and Future Dons celebrations.
These moments create connections between people who might not otherwise meet.
They remind us that community isn't defined by age.
It's about people coming together.
WE LISTEN TO OUR COMMUNITY
Improving lives means listening to the people whose lives we're trying to improve.
Our Youth Voice activity gives young people opportunities to share their experiences, talk about the issues affecting them and contribute to conversations about their communities.
We want people to have a voice in shaping the places they live, work and grow up in.
Because lasting change doesn't happen to a community.
It happens with a community.
WHAT IMPACT LOOKS LIKE
We measure our impact in numbers - 368 young people engaging through Kicks, and 304 places booked for our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) provision, with 216 children attending - alongside many more people taking part across our programmes.
But behind every number is a person.
It's someone living with Parkinson's getting back on the pitch, enjoying football and being part of a team.
It's a veteran sitting down for breakfast with people who share their experiences.
It's a young person choosing to spend their afternoon in a safe space, playing football, building relationships and developing confidence.
It's a child having somewhere to go during the school holidays, making friends, trying something new and simply having fun.
It's a woman finding an activity where she feels comfortable, welcome and able to take part.
It's different generations coming together, sharing an experience and discovering new connections.
And it's a young person being listened to - knowing that their experiences and ideas matter.
The numbers tell us how many people we're reaching and what we're delivering.
The stories tell us what that means to the people taking part.
Together, they show the difference our work makes.
Because behind every session, every programme and every statistic is a person.
A person who has taken part.
A person who has connected.
A person who has found a sense of belonging.
That's what it means to improve the lives of our community.
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