COMMUNITY-RUN football clubs around the world are making a difference in their local areas, often under the radar and without plaudits — which they don’t seek but deserve.

Due to the way they are structured, these clubs are often ideally situated to respond to events or even crises away from football that affect the communities in which they reside.

The work they do doesn’t happen automatically. It is the result of hours of volunteer work and community action, even during “quieter” periods, laying the groundwork for local social initiatives as well as activities and sporting development.

Their progress happens off the pitch as well as on it, and there are more of these clubs across the globe than many may realise. 

Here’s a look at what a few have them have been up to in recent months.

City of Liverpool FC

City of Liverpool FC (COLFC) have reached the third qualifying round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history.

They defeated National League North side Farsley Celtic and will now face Buxton at home in the next round on October 2.

Meanwhile, the club’s community arm have been taking clothing donations for Afghan refugees following the escalation of the crisis in the country and surrounding region last month.

The club have strong links with migrant communities thanks to the football sessions organised for asylum-seekers and refugees in the Liverpool area.

Many participants in this Football For Everyone initiative have been refugees or asylum-seekers from Afghanistan, so the club were already well positioned to take practical action.

Recent donations were passed on to Bridge2 Liverpool, a charity that supports refugees and asylum-seekers arriving in the city after escaping persecution, usually from war zones.

COLFC were also one of 25 clubs involved in the Fair Game initiative which has been set up to bring “sustainability, integrity and community” in football.

“Football needs root-and-branch reform,” COLFC director Peter Furmedge told Fair Game earlier this month.

”Supporters, as a minimum, deserve transparency from club owners and football authorities alike. 

“City of Liverpool FC is delighted to stand alongside like-minded clubs at this launch.”

Minneapolis City SC

It has been an eventful week for the Minneapolis based community-run club, who announced on Thursday that they would be joining the United Soccer League’s (USL) League Two in 2022.

Minneapolis City most recently played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and were its North Conference champions in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

The club are a non-profit organisation run by the community, for the community, and do lots of work to provide a pathway and platform for local players and coaches.

They have been increasingly active in the community in recent years and played – and still play – a part in the ongoing healing process for the area following the murder of George Floyd in the city in May last year.

The quaint club shop in south Minneapolis has served as a base for many community efforts, while the football itself provides an outlet for Minneapolitans to exercise with and/or support a local institution.

Even if a club are successful in their current division, as Minneapolis SC have been, there is not always a clear upward path in US soccer due to a lack of promotion and relegation.

This means progress can often be difficult for clubs to achieve or assess, but Minneapolis City’s move to USL League Two will build upon the work the club does with its local players and youth teams, and ultimately give them a bigger and more testing stage on which to perform.

“We’ve been successful by being community-focused, mission-driven, and listening to our members,” said the club’s technical director Adam Pribyl.

“We feel good about this move because USL provides a level up for the club and we can still remain the same ramshackle, 501c3 [non-profit], independent club we’ve always been.

“We will never stop looking for ways to grow the club, to play against like-minded clubs, and to serve the community. This is just another step forward.”

HFC Falke and the Fenix Trophy

German side HFC Falke are one of eight clubs taking part in the Fenix Trophy this season. 

It’s a European tournament set up for, according to its organisers, “non-professional clubs chosen for their exceptionality.”

Falke were formed in Hamburg by former supporters of Hamburger SV after the then Bundesliga club transitioned from being a fully member-run club to inviting outside investment.

Speaking to the Morning Star in February 2020, the club’s then president Tamara Dwenger said: “We decided to fight for a better form of football, a football which is by the members for the members.

“The goal is to support each other, share stories, visit and play friendlies against each other, having a good time and show by example that there is an alternative — fan-owned football.”

With this in mind it’s easy to see why HFC Falke decided to take part in the Fenix Trophy, which features seven other non-professional clubs from across Europe.

The tournament is seen as an antidote to the recent failed European Super League plans, though is itself a closed-shop competition.

“We’re starting 2021-22 with eight teams, but we listen to every club that represents our values,” current HFC Falke president Timo Oehlenschlager told 11Freunde in June.

“So it could be that teams from Denmark or Belgium will get in touch in the next few weeks and say: ‘Hey, you’ve forgotten us, we’d like to take part’.” 

“OK, then we’ll continue with a larger field in 2022/23, but now we have to try it out in this manageable framework.”

However this non-league super league is received, clubs like HFC Falke will continue to promote an international community of like-minded clubs with similar aims and values, looking to spread the message that another type of football is possible.