‘Giving something back’: can football clubs and their communities co-exist?

The assumption is often made that football clubs are intertwined with their local communities, and that clubs and communities have mutual and equal benefits for each other. This assumption is then often magnified, confused and perpetuated, not only by football clubs themselves, but by bodies such as local and central government agencies, and commercial organisations, all of which have wider political, corporate and social agendas to pursue.