Manchester City’s charity, City in the Community (CITC) has been in existence for over 35 years and plays an integral role across the Greater Manchester area to empower healthier lives through football, benefiting tens of thousands of participants each year.
Over the course of CITC’s year, the charity delivered a total of 17 programmes – which placed physical and mental wellbeing at their core – to over 18,000 people. With an average contact time of 22 hours per participant, these programmes delivered a tangible, meaningful impact through sustained quality contact time.
With a broader aim of creating healthy futures and healthy communities, it’s not just CITC’s programmes that make a difference but the charity’s ongoing engagement to support each individual they work with. As a result of this work, a significant number of participants achieved a range of qualifications as part of their own development – with 649 qualifications gained in total.
One of the participants who has benefitted from CITC’s work is Tom Odell, who was selected for the “City Inspires” programme because of his challenging behaviour and truancy from school.
City Inspires is designed to connect with secondary school learners who are at risk of not reaching their potential, and to support them through the education system and early adulthood.
Tom spent two years on the programme after enrolling as a 15-year-old, during which time he re-engaged with school and left with excellent GCSEs, before completing CITC’s BTEC course and accepting a scholarship onto the bespoke Community Football Coaching degree course jointly delivered by CITC and Manchester Metropolitan University. Following Tom’s fantastic turn around, he joined CITC as a part-time member of staff and is now working with young adults in schools across Manchester to pass on the benefits of his experiences.
CITC delivers its programmes to thousands of people across Greater Manchester
Source: Manchester City
Manchester City fans have a high awareness and appreciation of the Club's community work
My club already makes a significant contribution to the local community
Source: Premier League Fan Engagement Survey 2022-23
At the end of the 2022-23 season, after an incredible 33 years of service, former player and founder of CITC, Alex Williams MBE, took well-deserved retirement.
Born in Moss Side, Manchester, Alex not only played for Manchester City – making 125 appearances between 1980 and 1986 – but also devoted over three decades to improving the lives of people in Greater Manchester through his work at CITC. His tireless contribution helped shape the charity into one of the largest and most impactful football foundations in the country today.
For the past 12 years, Alex has held the position of CITC Ambassador and has continued to play an active role in supporting the development of various programmes and initiatives that the charity delivers. He was a constant visible presence across Greater Manchester promoting CITC’s work.
To honour Alex and thank him for his commitment and dedication, the Club was incredibly proud to unveil the renamed ‘Alex Williams MBE Community Pitch’ in celebration of the positive impact Alex has had and the legacy his work has left behind for so many people.
Known for its bright blue colour, the chosen pitch was already home to many of CITC’s football programmes and is now a further symbol of Alex’s commitment to the community and his work in pioneering the Club’s vision to empowering better lives through football.
Prior to the pitch unveiling, Alex played a leading role in the Premier League celebrations in May, carrying the trophy out to the pitch just moments before the players, led by Captain İlkay Gündoğan, lifted it in front of the Club’s cheering fans at the Etihad Stadium.
