BLACKPOOL’S community trust has become “a place of hope” for local families, its chief executive has said.

The on-field fortunes of clubs may fluctuate, but consistently club community organisations (CCOs) throughout the EFL are proving to be a lifeline.

The Seasiders’ own trust has helped people with serious mental health problems, steered young people at risk of exclusion from education down a better path and provided warmth and meals to those struggling most in the cost-of-living crisis.

“The work that’s going on within the communities is still probably football’s biggest secret,” trust chief executive Ashley Hackett told the PA news agency.

“The impact is enormous, and I don’t think there’s another network that has the reach that the CCO network has.”

The continued sustainability of clubs will be the overriding goal of football’s independent regulator — and is about so much more than simply preserving what happens on the pitch 46 times a season.

Tomorrow marks the start of the EFL’s latest Week of Action, highlighting the valuable work of its CCOs.

Asked why community trusts had such incredible reach, Hackett said: “A football club is something that an awful lot of households see as a place of hope, a place of positivity, that they connect with.

“We’re not making the government decisions. What we’re hopefully doing is supporting government to empower these people. We’re just seen as a friendly face, we support and we link in.

“There isn’t really anything else that’s got that same relatability to it.”

The Blackpool FC Sports College, also at Bloomfield Road, works with 16 and 17-year-olds for whom the traditional college environment might not appeal.

Starting this season, it is offering a course focused on Esports.

Families can also access food parcels at the stadium, as well as access warm spaces at the stadium to spend a few hours to help them with their own energy bills.