Harrogate Town FC: Working with Disability Action Yorkshire to provide employment

And one very important member of staff is Zak, a matchday facilities assistant, who came to work at the club through Disability Action Yorkshire.

Dave Riley, operations director, said Zak joined the team to carry out a variety of tasks, these include greeting supporters, checking the turnstyles and dugouts, cleaning handrails and seating areas and generally ensuring everything is ship-shape for matchday.

“He has got to know people now,” says Dave. “He will go to other members of staff asking if there is anything they need help with.

“He is a joy to be around and football should be open to everybody.”

Tom Battersby, employment and resource specialist with Disability Action Yorkshire, said disabled people were under-represented in the workplace and that opportunities like this, with Harrogate Town, were invaluable, giving people a sense of wellbeing and self-worth and the opportunity to significantly contribute to a business.

“This is real work,” said Tom. “He is understanding the effort and the discipline and the organisation that has to go into carrying out a job in any ordinary working day. He is learning to multi-task, to work to a time and also to carry out the job to the standard that is needed.”

Working with the community, from free coaching sessions for youngsters to fundraising and running the club’s Community Foundation, is part and parcel of life at Harrogate Town FC.

Zak has been a supporter of the club from a very young age, attending matches at Wetherby Road and the club’s popular holiday soccer camps.

Back in August, Harrogate Town was looking for matchday staff and held an open day, which Zak attended – impressing existing staff with his passion and enthusiasm.

With the club having previously worked closely with Disability Action Yorkshire, this was a perfect fit, with the charity offering outstanding support for getting disabled people into work.

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Find out more about Harrogate Town’s community work, and follow its fortunes on and off the pitch on the website here