Through a growing network of 36 fitness and community initiatives, the Club Doncaster Foundation is changing lives in a city that has been facing chronic health inequalities in the country.
From tackling physical inactivity to tackling social isolation and mental health, the Foundation shows what a football club’s infrastructure can achieve when fully adapted to its community.
Here is what we discuss in this article:
A city built in the past
Watch the video above to see a showcase of the trusts’ work and how they manage it to a high standard, reaching thousands of people across the region from all walks of life.
Doncaster’s industrial legacy runs deep but it has also left a legacy of health challenges that the city is still dealing with.
High unemployment rates and limited access to affordable health care have created an environment where improving public health requires more than a simple gym membership.
There are obstacles, whether it’s people accessing gyms or rising prices… But for us, it’s about sustaining free health and wellness projects so that more local people can access sports.
Ben Howe, Health and Wellbeing Officer at Club Doncaster Foundation
Cost is a real barrier for many residents, but so is self-confidence. For people who haven’t exercised in years, or who have never felt that fitness is ‘theirs’, walking through the door of a regular gym can feel overwhelming.
Club Doncaster Foundation saw this as an opportunity to do things differently.
How Fit Rovers do things differently
Fit Rovers was launched in 2017 and sits at the heart of the Club Doncaster Foundation’s health work.
Originally designed to address low employment rates among men in the area, it has grown into a wider campaign involving participants of all ages and backgrounds. It now reaches thousands of people across Doncaster.
What makes Fit Rovers unique is the way they combine physical activity with education and community building. Each session is accompanied by exercises and practical learning including nutrition, mental health, and sustainable healthy habits. The goal is to change long-term behavior, not reinforce short-term resilience.
Mustafa, a participant in the program, knows exactly how that feels. He still remembers the anxiety of arriving at his first Fit Rovers session: “For the first 20 minutes, I was so scared… But then I looked around and everyone was in the same boat.”
Realizing that no one is judged and that everyone starts somewhere is what keeps people coming back. Mustafa regained his stamina, regained his confidence, and led a busy life with his family.
“It created that spark,” said Mustafa. “Now I do a lot of work with my family and coach my son’s soccer team.”
Walking is more than exercise
Accessing the Foundation goes far beyond physical fitness. For some of its most loyal participants, the program was about mental health and social interaction.
John is 71, and joined Fit Rovers after a period of unemployment which had left him struggling with anxiety and depression. What she found was more than a fitness class: “I had lost my fitness levels… I thought this would be a great opportunity not only to exercise, but to learn about healthy living.”
Eight years later, he’s still going to meetings with a group of friends he met through the show—a collective called the Fab Four. For John, the biggest benefit isn’t improved fitness. “It’s the social side, the camaraderie,” he continued, and the fact that “everyone is treated the same.”
Consistency flows outward. From pregnancy groups to sessions for 90-year-olds, from occupational health to bereavement support, Club Doncaster Foundation has built an inclusive service network that sits close to its core mission of sport and fitness.
“For every life you’re going to have, we can hit everywhere,” said Jess Hayes, one of the Foundation’s Health & Wellbeing coordinators. “And that’s what we’re all about.”
In a city where isolation can be as dangerous as unemployment, that kind of consistency is invaluable. The Foundation has become, for many of its participants, one of the most reliable things in their week.
The challenge of financing
Providing that range of offerings is no small feat. Behind the social impact is a complex operational reality: many programs, each with its own funding, reporting requirements, and results to be demonstrated.
“We have 36 different programs,” said CEO John Davis. “That’s about 33 different funders, each with 33 different financial reports, activity reports, forecasting availability and spending.”
Every government grant comes with conditions. Every pound needs to be counted. And every decision directly affects the resources that the community depends on.
This is where Sage finds its place. As a single financial system that includes both the club and the Foundation, it integrates budgeting, reporting and activities in one place, replacing static reports with live management accounts and giving the team real-time visibility at the program level. When funding shifts or costs increase, they can respond quickly rather than scrambling to catch up.
Granular cost tracking means the Foundation can calculate the actual costs of delivering each program, support full cost recovery, refine funding bids, and ensure cash flow is where it will have the most impact.
“With Sage it’s a five-second job,” said John. “We know every penny what we’ve spent and that helps with projections, cash flow forecasting, and bids. Most important when costs are constantly rising.”
Leadership walks into board meetings with accurate, live data. Trustees have clear oversight. And when a funding opportunity arises, the team is ready to make a compelling case.
Final thoughts
For the Club Doncaster Foundation, the challenges ahead are real. Funding pressures are not easing, and the needs of the community it serves are not. But the goal is clear: reach more people, remove more barriers, and continue to build the kind of community where no one has to struggle alone.
If I didn’t have Fit Rovers… it would leave a huge hole in my life.
John Wells, Fit Rovers contributor
With partners like Sage helping to manage the complexity behind the scenes, the Foundation can focus on what it does best: being a consistent, reliable presence in the lives of people in Doncaster who need it most.
And they’re not alone, Sage also powers Doncaster Rovers FC, keeping another Doncaster center running smoothly behind the scenes.
