The Swansea City AFC Foundation is a shining example of how the power of sport can be harnessed to deliver lasting, positive change across communities. As the charitable arm of Swansea City AFC, the Foundation has spent over 15 years engaging people of all ages and backgrounds throughout South West Wales, using the club’s unique status as a trusted community asset to inspire healthier lives.

Swansea City AFC Foundation’s mission is simple but powerful: to use football as a force for good, helping to create the conditions needed for communities to flourish. Their work is built around five key pillars:

• Building Prosperity through education and entrepreneurship
• Developing Resilience by supporting mental wellbeing and nurturing optimism
• Improving Health by promoting physical activity and healthy eating
• Supporting Inclusivity by tackling disadvantage and advocating for equality
• Sustainable Growth to ensure long-term financial stability and environmental responsibility

This mission is supported through strategic funding partnerships, including the Premier League Charitable Fund, Welsh Government, and Shared Prosperity Fund, all helping to make a meaningful impact across the region.

At the helm of the Foundation’s Health & Wellbeing efforts is the team’s Head of Health & Wellbeing – Caroline Gwilym – who leads both the internal wellbeing strategy for staff and a growing portfolio of external community programmes:

• Fit Jacks – a healthy lifestyle/behaviour change programme which aims to support people to make healthier choices, increase their fitness levels through physical and improve mental health and increased social connection and wellbeing
• Walking football sessions (open access and Parkinson’s-friendly) designed to get people aged 55+ moving in a fun, safe, and social environment, reduce obesity and delay the onset of chronic conditions
• Cwtch Coffee Mornings welcome a group of regulars who live alone or face barriers to social participation, encouraging social interaction with structured wellbeing opportunities
• Jack to a Chef is a community nutrition programme delivered in schools to equip young people with the knowledge and skills to make healthier food choices
• Mental Health & Behaviour Change Support including the Jac Lewis Foundation’s Mental Health Hub and Kick the Habit (in partnership with Swansea Bay University Health Board)

Delivery is rooted in trusted community relationships, skilled coaching, and meaningful partnerships with public health teams, social prescribers, local authorities, voluntary services, and national sport and health bodies such as Public Health Wales, EFL in the Community, and the FAW.

The Foundation’s work has been further strengthened by insights from our Health Needs Assessment conducted in 2024. The findings reinforced existing community understanding and helped evidence the Foundation’s programme design and funding bids.

“The Health Needs Assessment research aligned closely with our understanding of local need and has helped validate our work in conversations with funders and stakeholders. The connection with The National Network for Innovation in Sport & Health has also been extremely beneficial in our ability to network.”

Looking ahead, the Foundation hopes to continue working closely with the Network as a valuable partner in sharing research, connecting with collaborators, and building evidence that strengthens local health innovation.

With sustained funding, the Foundation is poised to grow its health and wellbeing offering. Plans include:

• Evolving the Cwtch Coffee Morning into a dementia-friendly Extra Time Hub, with community outreach
• Launching Fit Families, a two-pronged healthy lifestyle programme for schools and local communities
• Expanding impact across the life course — from early years to ageing well
• Continuing to work in the prevention space — low to medium interventions, high impact, community-led

Swansea City AFC Foundation’s model offers a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when sport, health, and community come together. With a clear mission, data-informed strategy, and people-centred approach, they’re building a healthier future for South West Wales — one person, one programme, and one connection at a time.