Tranmere Rovers stars visited local schoolchildren this week to discuss careers and host sport sessions to steer young people away from crime.

The visits are part of the EFL Week of Action which runs from November 18-22 to celebrate the impact the 72 EFL member clubs have on their local communities.

A report published by the EFL this week revealed that ‘More people than ever are looking to their local EFL Club for life-changing support’.

Players Luke McGee, Brad Walker and Josh Hawkes visited Black Horse Hill Junior School in West Kirby yesterday to talk to pupils about careers.

TRIC held a boxing and indoor golf session at The Mosslands School in Wallasey on Wednesday as part of their ongoing County Lines Project aiming to prevent young people from getting involved in crime.

Steve Williams, Community Manager at Tranmere Rovers, spoke to MerseySport Live about the local impact of TRIC.

He said: “We’re not just there for people who support Tranmere, but obviously for the local community as well. It doesn’t matter who they support. We’re there as the local hub.

“We’re probably the biggest provider of entertainment for anyone on the Wirral, we’re getting 6-7500 people attending one place on a match day. So, obviously, we’ve got a big pull. We are there to provide a service for the local community.”

TRIC is a registered charity that aims to provide support in health and wellbeing, enhancing lives and citizenship to people in the area of all ages.

This week they have delivered hampers of food and essentials to local schools to distribute across the community, and this initiative will continue throughout winter.

Food hamper. Photo by Joel Muniz via Unsplash
Food hamper. Photo by Joel Muniz via Unsplash

The EFL Week of Action aims to bring awareness and publicity to activities which take place all the time.

“It’s an all year round thing. It’s not something out of the ordinary for us to do these things,” said Williams.

“The projects are becoming more diverse, working with kids who may be on the cusp of crime, people with disabilities, girls football. We also run a program for asylum seekers and refugees.

“It’s touching every area. Whatever the needs in the local community are, that’s what we try and get involved with.”

The charity provides a range of events over the Christmas period, including activities for care leavers on Christmas day and lunch for homeless people on Boxing Day.

The EFL report also found that ‘cost savings delivered through EFL Club community work are helping the country to address inequalities and societal issues.’

The community ticket scheme ‘Nate’s Tickets’ enables disadvantaged local people to enjoy a match day experience at Prenton Park.

This scheme has provided to tickets to nearly 30,000 fans who would have otherwise not been able to attend.

Based in one of the most socially deprived areas in England, the support provided by TRIC helps to tackle a range of societal issues being faced by local people.