Story added: 13th October 2024

Jack Stacey volunteers at The Nest

Norwich City right-back Jack Stacey first heard of Norwich City’s Community Sports Foundation in March 2024 in the build-up to the Foundation’s annual ‘Takeover Game‘ at Carrow Road.

The football club grants its partner charity one home league fixture each season to showcase the fantastic charity work done in the community, with last season’s game against Sunderland featuring a variety of activities both in and around the ground, as well as the customary half-time pitch parade.

City player Jack Stacey was involved in the pre-event promotion for the aforementioned Takeover Game and got his first real insight into the Foundation’s community work following a tour of the Foundation’s Carrow Road offices.

“Off the back of meeting everyone and seeing just how vast an operation [the Foundation] is, it made me realise that I’d underestimated just how big the charity was, and how much work they really do in the community”, City’s number 3 told us.

“I organised a meeting with Ian Thornton [OBE], the Foundation’s CEO, to see where I could help out, and we identified a couple of sessions on a Tuesday night at The Nest. Coming down and seeing the facilities, I realised this was something I have to be involved with and help play my part.”

In recent times, Jack has predominantly been helping out with our Realising Potential programme, our support group for people with either physical or learning disabilities. Aaron Emerson, one of the Foundation’s Community Coaches, had only praise for the footballer’s impact on the group:

“The kids absolutely love him. It’s great to have him there, to be honest, he takes time to interact with everyone, says hello to everyone and at the end of the sessions all the children go home with a smile on their faces.”

James Fish, the Foundation’s Disability Development Officer, who works closely with the Realising Potential group, was also complimentary of Jack’s impact:

“I think it’s effortless for him, he just seems like such a natural. He’s here all the time, he gets involved with everything and I think it not only brings him closer to other people but it really helps me and the rest of the team as well.”

When we asked Jack about why helping out at our sessions was important to him, he told us more about the choices behind his selfless volunteering:

“I didn’t know too much about it at first, but when you come down and see the impact it has on the kids, and of course the adults too, you can see that there is a truly diverse age group and a whole range of different backgrounds here… it’s a real sense of community.”

“It makes me feel really good that even a little bit of my time each week or each month can make a big difference.”