The Foundation, which is funded by mining company Anglo American, the owners of the Woodsmith Mine being constructed near Whitby and in Teesside, awarded the Steelmen a substantial grant of over £45,000 which was used towards the creation of a new modular sports building complete with social lounge, toilets and café, as well as two new spectator stands.

This has helped the club achieve promotion to the highest level in their history and also allowing their many community initiatives to thrive - with groups like The Boot Room and Friends of Green Lane benefitting from their improved facilities.

Club Secretary and Junior Section Chairman Kev Fryett admitted the Steelmen’s development wouldn’t have been as lofty if not for the support of the Foundation.

“That extra income has improved the club’s development massively, helping us operate more professionally and also to be more community orientated," said Kev.

"The new clubhouse has lots of community groups using it and benefiting from it, with numerous other groups on the waiting list - it’s made a huge difference. Without the support from The Sirius Minerals Foundation, we wouldn’t have been able to do half of what we’ve done and obviously a lot of people in our community wouldn’t have felt that benefit.

“Redcar Athletic would like to put on record our massive thanks to The Sirius Minerals Foundation for their fantastic support. It means so much to a lot of people, from the young people who play football here, the committee and members of the club, the community groups who use the facilities.”

One such group is The Boot Room, who were set up to help those made redundant from the nearby SSI steelworks when it closed its doors in 2015 and who may have lost their way.

“After the steelworks closed down, we felt there was a need to provide a facility for males aged over 50 who were at risk of becoming isolated and lonely after losing their jobs,” added Kev.

“We decided we needed provide a place for these men to come, have a cup of tea or coffee and a bacon sandwich and speak to other people in a similar situation and the outcome has been absolutely amazing, it’s something I’m incredibly proud to be a part of.

“We’ve also got the Link Foundation, who come in a couple of times a week and run mother and toddler groups and play groups; Carers Together, who bring 20-30 people in on a regular basis; and we also have links with Footprints in the Community with whom we established a food bank collection centre during lockdown."

Sirius Minerals Foundation Chairman Ian Swales was delighted to see the great work going on at the club as a direct result of the funding they received.

“Redcar Athletic Football Club are an amazing piece of the community in Redcar, they do lots of good work beyond having an excellent football team,” Ian commented.

“To have 27 teams in total, from children aged as young as three, plus women’s teams and walking football too - you can see the club is thriving and doing things right. I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve seen and this is a great example of what the Foundation is all about.”

Anglo American is funding the Foundation with £1m a year while the mine is under construction. Longer term, it will be funded by percentage of mine revenue, which is expected to amount to several million pounds per year.

For more information on the Foundation, visit www.siriusmineralsfoundation.co.uk or contact Chief Executive Leah Swain on 07724 832982 or via [email protected]