For the last two seasons, the Premier League Fans Fund, funded by the Premier League, through the Premier League Charitable Fund, has given clubs across England and Wales the opportunity to run a wide variety of programmes that strengthen connections between them, their fans and local communities.
There are 96 clubs from the Premier League, English Football League, National League, Women's Super League and Women's Championship who are now using this funding to engage with their fan base.
Here, we take a look at some of the impact the Premier League Fans Fund is having.
Walsall FC For All (Walsall)
With a bhangra band, free homemade samosas and a 4-0 home win, there are plenty of reasons why Walsall's game against Colchester United in September will live long in the memory.
The match was the club's South Asian Heritage Month fixture, one of the many highlights of the first year of the Walsall FC Foundation's Walsall FC For All programme.
"The day went down really well," says Paul Larvin, Walsall FC Foundation senior operations manager. "The samosas went in no time and we had fans clapping and dancing along to the band.
"We have staff with South Asian heritage and to see their glow afterwards was so positive. They were over the moon with how it went because we haven't tried to bring down those barriers before.
"Our fans were all engaged with the process and seeing that acceptance was brilliant. Afterwards we had the feeling of actually, we're getting somewhere with this."
Walsall FC For All began last year with the aim of strengthening bonds between the club and the diverse and underrepresented communities that surround the Bescot Stadium; improving community cohesion in the process.
They have forged ties with Aisha Mosque, the Afghan Community Welfare Centre, the Union of Muslim Organisations and the Refugee and Migrant Centre among others, either visiting those venues or hosting events at the Bescot Stadium.
Walsall have been part of a Community Iftar, delivered coaching sessions in a local mosque, run a volunteer programme for refugees and migrants as well as inviting participants to matches as part of the Football Welcomes initiative.
"We looked at the demographics of Walsall and in particular the ward we sit in," Paul says. "The Premier League Fans Fund provided us with a great opportunity to try to make our fanbase more representative of our borough.
"All of our work across the Foundation uses the power of football, the badge and the Premier League to engage with the community; whether that be children in primary school, teenagers who want a safe space to play football, or as with this programme, the Muslim community. Football brings people together.
"The more we can do that in the current climate of the world we're in, the more we can bridge these gaps, the better it is for everybody. There's so many different communities that are doing fantastic work but don't engage enough with each other and football is allowing us to get these groups to engage more."
In only 12 months, Walsall FC Foundation have reached out to hundreds of participants and community leaders and this has in turn led to a significant shift in attitudes.
"First and foremost, we're breaking down barriers and participants and leaders are coming to us now to see how they can get involved," Paul says. "We are getting rid of all the stereotypes different communities may have of each other.
"At one of the events we hosted, community leaders walked around the stadium at half-time and one told us that her perception of the matchday experience and of football fans had completely changed. She felt really comfortable. From that point of view it's having a really good impact.
"People are also understanding that football is far more than the 90 minutes on the pitch. It's a day out and a safe place for a family to visit. It's for women, children, different communities, providing a welcoming environment.
"Without the Premier League Fans Fund, we wouldn't be having the engagement and the impact in the volume that we are having. We've given out 1,000 plus tickets to people from different faiths and it's given them an opportunity and awareness to be involved in a sport that maybe they wouldn't have gravitated to initially."
Walsall FC For All is now entering its second year and the club are hoping that this is only the start of the story.
The Foundation are aiming to expand their work with the Muslim community, engage with the Sikh community and, with the help of the construction of a multi-faith prayer room, are eager to open up the stadium for a wide variety of events.
"The Premier League Fans Fund has given us a fantastic opportunity to do some really impactful work," Paul says. "It's given us more opportunities, more tickets to offer, more staff hours and more time to embed what we want to do and make the club for everyone.
"We celebrate what we've achieved but we're going to carry on and keep the work going.
"We look forward to the day that we can look at our community stand and see the real diversity of Walsall represented within the stadium at a match. That's the aim. It will take time but we are on track."
