Former professional footballers turned pundits, Jobi McAnuff and Rachel Brown-Finnis, will represent the EFL as Community Ambassadors for the 2024/25 season, helping to showcase the work of Clubs in their communities.
EFL Clubs make a real difference to their local communities and surrounding areas - both on and off the pitch 365 days a year - positively impacting people and wider society, with community efforts changing lives for the better in areas such as physical and mental wellbeing, education, social connection and community cohesion.
Jobi McAnuff is no stranger to the EFL, having made over 750 career appearances, playing across the top five tiers of English football for the likes of Crystal Palace, Reading and Leyton Orient. The former midfielder, who also made over 30 international appearances for Jamaica, ended his career in a player-manager role for Leyton Orient at the end of the 2020/21 season and currently has a prominent role in the media as a pundit.
In 2023/24 alone, EFL players made almost 21,000 appearances at Club and CCO events, an average of 292 appearances per Club.
Former goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis played for England on more than 80 occasions in her career, and at club level played for WSL sides Liverpool and Everton – as well as being part of the London 2012 Olympics Team GB squad. Since her retirement from the game, Brown-Finnis has moved into broadcasting as both a pundit and a co-commentator, also working regularly for the FA as a Lioness Legend.
This week the EFL is showcasing its annual Week of Action from 18 – 22 November, celebrating the collective impact of Club community work across the League.
While Managers and First Team players actively support their Club’s community activities all year round, the Week of Action sees them collectively come together in 72 towns and cities across England and Wales over the five-day period, meeting participants and engaging in some of the most innovative projects that are improving the quality of people’s lives.
Jobi McAnuff, EFL Community Ambassador said: “Football is a universal language and is something that brings a lot of people together, and as both a player and a manager in the EFL I have witnessed first-hand just how important Clubs are as a focal point of their local communities and key pillars in community life.
“I’m used to talking about matters on the pitch in my role as a pundit but I’m really looking forward to also highlighting the important work Clubs do off the pitch to help tackle some of society’s biggest challenges.”
Rachel Brown-Finnis, EFL Community Ambassador said: “The work of a Football Club transcends far beyond the pitch, as Clubs continually react and respond to whatever challenges crop up in the current climate.
“Clubs provide a safe place where people of all ages and background feel comfortable, and in times of adversity, football’s response and individual club’s response is always ‘how can we help our people?’ I’ve witnessed first-hand the impact EFL clubs can have in positively changing people’s lives and I’m looking forward to playing a small part in telling the story to a wider audience.”
