Town-ing together: Harrogate Town AFC in the Community

While football clubs to most fans, rivals, and outsiders are judged purely for what level they play at and how they perform on the pitch, that simply isn’t the full story and certainly doesn’t define success. It’s the side of the game either side of 90 minutes at a weekend that make the difference, with tireless work off the pitch in building a stronger fanbase, forming an identity, and connecting with those in the community. Sky Bet League Two and North Yorkshire side, Harrogate Town are a prime example of a club in the EFL who have fostered a clear community spirit and formed a connection with those who are ‘Proud to be Town’. From behind-the-scenes work of youth development to charity events and sponsorships, uniting people has been a clear goal of the club and has created a positive, more connected Harrogate.

In recent years, The Sulphurites have been recognised for their work picking up many awards such as being voted National League Community Club of the Year in 2020 recognising the club’s impact on schools in the local area to get children involved in sport and making football accessible to everyone. Since then, Harrogate Town have gained an outstanding reputation with its fans and fellow EFL sides by achieving a silver rating in the Family Excellence Award for last season after investing heavily in stadium facilities and being dedicated to provide the best possible matchday experience, ranking them sixth out of 24 League Two clubs. However, it’s not just the club itself receiving the plaudits with year-on-year Harrogate Town becoming a well-established EFL team wouldn’t be possible without the guidance of CEO Sarah Barry who was named Sky Bet League Two CEO of the year in 2023 being praised for “creating a commercial and operational team which is one of the best in League Two… and has laid the platform for a very successful community programme.” Via the Harrogate Town website. So, a year on from those awards, here’s what all those involved at Harrogate Town have got up to in the community this season.

Harrogate Town Player Development Centre (PDC)

All smiles at the goalkeeper session
Harrogate Town goalkeeper James Belshaw passing on his expertise

One key area that Harrogate Town have shed more focus on this year is the Player Development Centre which since 2014, has been dedicated to bringing up young talent in the local area through their ranks. The PDC offers high quality coaching from experienced professionals as well as past and present players like goalkeeper James Belshaw who has been a key figure in allowing the young players to get a top-tier football education whether that’s to progress as high as they can, or to simply enjoy themselves and have fun. Having teams running all the way through from U9’s to U16’s as well as two training locations at Rossett Sports Centre and St. John Fisher has allowed the club to build a real sense of community with almost 300 boys and girls currently in the training programme this season. Lead PDC coach Ryan Smith outlined his and his coaching team’s goals by saying: “We want to foster a lifelong love of football and the club at the PDC for our players, boys and girls, who attend our sessions… it is our responsibility as a club to take pride in our coaching sessions and maximise their talents.”

This season has also seen much development for the girls’ PDC after first being launched in 2020, the increased popularity in the women’s game due to the Lionesses success and in particular England forward, Rachel Daly who grew up in Harrogate herself has been a huge inspiration, showing that they can follow in her footsteps and has led to a positive demand in young girls wanting to get involved in football, hence, the club choosing to introduce an extra training session on a Tuesday for U11’s,U12’s and, U13’s. Kate Donnan, Harrogate Town Women First Team Manger said, “We continue to work toward strengthening the girls’ and women’s pathway… and are hopeful this will continue to increase the number of players progressing through the age categories and reaching first team football with us.” By offering the same opportunities to girls who want to play for the love of the game just like young boys do, Harrogate Town continue to actively show their commitment to all teams and age groups equally.

International Women’s Day

Harrogate Town proud to support the #hergametoo movement

The promotion of the women’s game at Harrogate Town has taken substantial strides over the course of this season, firstly with the improved academy system but away from football too with the club celebrating International Women’s Day to shed light on gender equality and the empowerment of women in sport.

To celebrate the day on the 8^th March 2025, Harrogate Town supporters and the women in the wider community have been dedicated to highlight the achievements of women in the Town by participating in a year-long project called ‘Women Winning’, which includes a range of events such as a walking tour, talks from inspirational women in Harrogate including 101-year-old WWII veteran Shelia Pantin sharing her life story, and film screenings by the football club linking up with the Harrogate Film Society.

On the day itself, the club has organised a special matchday experience as the men’s first team take on bottom of the league Carlisle United at The Exercise Stadium. Female fans and those supporting the project are invited to have exclusive tours of the stadium, meet-and-greet with players, and participate in halftime entertainment, creating an inclusive atmosphere that will bring all women in the community together.

Kate Donnan (centre left), Sarah Barry (centre right), introducing the Copa 71 film night

As part of the ‘Women Winning’ project, Harrogate Town partnering up with the Harrogate Film Society have put on a pre-launch event at the local Odeon cinema on 3^rd March, screening the documentary ‘Copa ’71 The Forgotten Women’s World Cup’ which remembers the groundbreaking first Women’s World Cup held in Mexico in 1971, 20 years before the first official tournament. Barry and Donnan from Harrogate Town were there at the event to introduce the film and answer any questions, Donnan said in the lead up to the event, “By celebrating the history and achievements of women’s football by showcasing the film, we hope to inspire the next generation of female players and highlight the importance of equality in sport… It’s essential that young girls see the possibilities that lie ahead of them.”

EFL Rainbow Ball Campaign

EFL Rainbow Ball being used from the 6th-17th February

On the theme of diversity and promoting unrepresented people in football, for the second year running, The EFL Rainbow Ball campaign in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community is an initiative aimed at promoting diversity, inclusion, and equality. After donating over £16,000 last year to a LGBTQ+ Fans for Diversity Fund and supporter groups, The EFL seeks to remind people that ‘football is for everyone, everywhere.’

Harrogate Town has taken the campaign into the local community by partnering with schools and community groups to deliver educational workshops with the aim of creating a lasting impact by encouraging young people to embrace and celebrate differences.

The players and club have played a crucial role in the campaign’s success by wearing rainbow-colored armbands and having rainbow coloured corner flags, demonstrating their support for the cause. By embracing the campaign’s message and actively engaging with the community, Harrogate Town has made a significant impact in the fight for diversity and acceptance in football.

Harrogate Army College Foundation

On 9^th November 2024, Harrogate Town welcomed the Army Foundation College based in Harrogate as special guests for their fixture against Morecambe in which they were on the receiving end of a 2-1 defeat following a 96^th minute winner from Harvey Macadam. Aside from the football, the connection between the football club and the College has allowed the Town to bring together their community and whilst also promoting the wider message of remembering those fallen war soldiers as part of Remembrance Sunday. The day itself was marked by the traditional laying of wreaths, rendition of The Last Post, and a minute’s silence prior to the game, giving the recruits the chance to develop team-building skills whilst also enjoying a day out at the football. As for Harrogate Town’s role, they continue to focus on creating positive experiences for all on a matchday, and bring together different elements of the North Yorkshire Town.

Soldiers playing their role as flag bearers

In the build up to kick-off a group of the soldiers from the College had the role of being flag bearers, holding the flags and leading the teams onto the field. Being a flag bearer is historically seen as a gesture of pride and honour, so by Harrogate Town giving them the responsibility was a significant moment which allowed them to represent the College whilst also contributing to the atmosphere on the day. Speaking to the young soldier in the image above, he said, “It’s a really special day for the College… having the opportunity to be a part of the matchday by being a flag bearer today was a real privilege. It was my first time watching Harrogate Town, so it’s been a fun experience while remembering those who sacrificed before us at the same time.”

Support of Local Charities and Initiatives

Harrogate Town players warming up in support of local initiatives
J.Daly raising awareness for North Yorkshire Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression

Another way in which Harrogate Town have kept close ties with the community this season has been by using their platform on social media and loyal support on matchdays to support local causes by the players wearing pre-match warm up t-shirts that raise awareness for charities and initiatives. The club throughout the season have been committed to giving back to their community and support those in need like The Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Unite For Access for disabled sports fans, and the NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression. It’s been a powerful way for Harrogate to show their solidarity in making a positive impact beyond just football and reinforces what it means being ‘Proud to be Town.’

Media manager at the club Hal Boxhall said, “It’s important to us as a club to highlight these causes on our socials as it’s where we can highlight the causes to our audience, and take this further by using hashtags to reach other fanbases so they can like, share, and repost… We’re in the privileged position by having thousands of followers to use our voice… seeing the positive response from people online is what makes our support worthwhile.”

‘Proud to be Town’ is more than a slogan

Harrogate Town throughout this season have shown their fans, locals in the Harrogate area and all those involved with the club truly what it means to be ‘Proud to be Town.’ Although what happens on the pitch may be every club’s main objective and key to success, Harrogate Town have had a lasting impact on its community for many seasons now. From nurturing their young talent through the ranks via the PDC, to shedding light on the fantastic work of charities in the North Yorkshire area, one of the key aims has been to make a positive difference to many lives in Harrogate, whether that’s getting people involved in sport on a small scale or helping to promote raising money for life-saving causes.

The club’s efforts to promote the message of inclusivity and diversity has been an area of their community engagement that has allowed the club to build a real family-like atmosphere on matchdays. At the 2023 Football Business Awards, Barry said, “To put Harrogate Town on the map when we are one of the smallest clubs in the league proves you don’t have to be the biggest to be the best.” With events such as The EFL Rainbow Ball campaign and the celebration of International Women’s Day, everyone is welcome at Harrogate Town and has shown that football is more than a game. As the club continues grow their fanbase year on year, the close connection with their local community has allowed everyone to feel a part of the club which has embodied what it means to be ‘Proud to be Town.’

SECOND UPDATE – Test shots & What I’ve done so far

After collating my first test shots for my blog post having decided on my topic of Town in the community. I had a think about what the main focus could be and what could move the story along and decided that the club’s slogan of ‘Proud to be Town’ is what I should focus on. This is because I wanted to get across what it really means to support the club. From the men’s, women’s, and youth development work the club do, I wanted to keep the message consistent that Harrogate Town fans should be and are proud to support their club due to all the good work they do off the pitch and behind the scenes.

So, with the first two images below I took a picture of the slogan in the bar area at the stadium to use as the opening image of my story to set the scene as the slogan conveys what I want to get across to the reader. As for the second image, I wanted a fan image with the slogan to show that they are in fact ‘Proud to be Town’ and encapsulate the sense of community at the club.

The third image I took to show Harrogate Town’s commitment to local initiatives which they have been all season by wearing t-shirts in the warm-up supporting charities. I thought it was a good touch capturing the player looking away and having the QR code visible so that the reader can actually interact with the image and not just simply scroll past it.

FIRST UPDATE – Test shots & What I’ve done so far

After finalising my topic over the past week I have been able to get out in the field and trial out some test shots which I believe have worked well and am able to use for my final blog post.

As I am focusing in on the charity, sponsorship and community events at Harrogate Town AFC over the course of the season, I have been able to document this since the beginning of September due to working closely with the club on a weekly basis, taking high quality pictures on my phone and a professional camera.

Player development centre: Test Shots

Goalkeeper James Belshaw coaching
Goalkeeper James Belshaw taking selfies

I thought these shots at the training centre worked well and was particularly pleased with the selfie shot due to it capturing the emotion of the happy faces on the kids which will make for a heart-warming story. As for the first shot, I like this also as it shows the Harrogate keeper in a different light away from the pitch and the behind the scenes work that goes into making a happy Harrogate community.

Actions shots, sports photography, burst/fast shutter speed

Pre-match shirt sponsors
Pre-match shirt sponsors

With the two shots above I wanted to incorporate some action shots to my photojournalism blog as when practicing throughout the workshops, I liked the raw feel of the photo capturing a moment in time and the players in action. I felt these pictures came out well due to the focus at the front of the shot with a blurry behind making the shirt sponsor easy to read

Other events captured

Harrogate Town Army day
EFL campaign supporting LGBTQ+

The first image was a shot of the Harrogate Town army day which I took earlier in the season but ties in perfectly with my chosen topic and is a particularly striking image with all the young soldiers in the same uniform, many different faces to focus in on and very little blank space. As for the second image, I feel there are reasons for and against it, I think its good due to the vibrant colours and the fact it’s in the viewers face but at the same time I am perhaps wary of the blank space and not enough going on in the image to be able to tell a story.

Week 7 – Workshop Task

Cropped image from portrait to landscape:

I chose to crop this image of the boxer from portrait to landscape to purely focus in on him punching the bag and removing a lot of black space at the top and bottom which was taking away from the focal point of the image. With the image being cropped down, it makes the image feel closer which makes the viewer feel more involved and connected whereas with the original portrait shot, it was easy for the viewers’ attention to stray from the punch.

Perspective crop to straighten the image:

Perspective Crop
Original

With the perspective crop my aim was to straighten up the image so that the flats appear to be straight ahead as with the original phot the flats are taken at an angle whilst also cropping out the excess sky that I believe isn’t necessary. The image with perspective crop adds a sense of symmetry to the image and overall a more close up feel which captures the viewers attention better than the original.

Week 6 – Workshop Task

Before
After

For the before image above, I felt this would be a good image to edit on Photoshop as I believed I could experiment more with the colourisation as the image is a bit dull. Therefore, what I did was try and enhance the colour of the grass and bring out the colour of the yellow seats in the stand. As for what I cropped, I felt there was too much blank space to the left of the camera and especially wanted to crop out the muddy grass patch in the bottom left of the image as when looking at the before picture my eyes are always drawn to that part which I wanted to change.

Before
After

As for the second image, I had a cool night drone shot of Harrogate Town AFC’s stadium and thought it would be good to edit as I could crop the wasted black space at the top and bottom of the image and shed more focus on the stadium itself. When it came to adding an adjustment layer, I played with the hue and saturation of the image and had an idea of making the saturation on one of the highest settings to really bring out the yellow of the stadium and surroundings in order to match with the Harrogate colours of yellow and black which I believe came out well.

Week 5 – Workshop task

Burst mode photos (fast shutter speed):

Using a faster shutter speed to showcase a series of events in this case jumping off the plank of wood allowed me to capture the moment with the ability to freeze the image. Therefore, these images show the key details in sharp focus. The images came out clear in this case but sometimes with a fast shutter, the camera may struggle to expose the scene even with a fully open aperture. This can be combated by increasing the ISO but it’s best to use the lowest ISO setting.

Live photo long exposure (slow shutter speeds):

With the image below, the use of a low shutter speed allows for more movement in the image as shown by the passing car and Joe walking in the photo, contrasted with the still buildings in the background. A slow shutter is used to capture a similar shot to the first but with the increased movement and live action, this adds a feeling of urgency to a shot instead of the still feeling of the previous images.

Week 4 – Workshop task

With the first image, the F-stop being F1.6 means that it will have a wide aperture allowing more light to hit the camera making the image brighter. However, at F1.6, the depth of field is a lot shallower meaning objects in the background appear blurred, where the subject (Joe) is very sharp. The background worked well for this type of image due to the sharpness of Joe blocking out the overpowering background of the tree and building

A mid-range F-stop image means less light enters the lens due to a smaller aperture than an image at F1.6. As for the depth of field, it is much deeper bringing the objects in the background into more focus whilst keeping the main subject Joe in focus also. An F-stop around the mid-range is often where lenses achieve their sharpest results and allows the viewer to focus on all aspects of the image and not just Joe in this case.

This image with an F-stop of the highest setting F16 means that the aperture is very small and much narrower resulting in less light entering the lens. This should make the image darker compared to the other pictures. With this setting, the depth of field is very deep allowing most of the image to be in full focus, however, images at F16 wouldn’t provide the clearest results compared to the setting of F7.1.

Quick experiment:

With the two images below, they are pictures of a coffee cup on a table in a café, however with each photo changing the focus giving the story of the photo a different meaning and persuading the viewer’s attention to where I want it.

With the first image, the focus is on the coffee whereas the second image changes the angle and gives it a different meaning by having the people and counter in focus, the story opens up a lot more angles.

Week 1 – Workshop task / Best coffee shop in Leeds? Go to 92 Degrees

92 Degrees coffee shop, Clay Pit Lane, Leeds City Centre

Whether it’s the quality coffee, cosy ambience or friendly atmosphere you look for in a coffee shop, 92 Degrees ticks all the right boxes to start your morning off the right way.

With a wide range of drinks from a flat white to fruit smoothies, 92 Degrees can offer what your taste buds are craving, and if that’s not enough, the shop based on Clay Pit Lane alongside three others around the city has some delicious sweet treats on offer.

A selection of the sweet treats on offer at 92 Degrees ranging from doughnuts to pastries — Coffee is one thing, but there’s a whole range of sweet treats to choose from

As well as providing a comforting experience for their customers, the staff at 92 Degrees are committed to making a change with a pledge of sustainably which is enhanced by their slogan of “Coffee is our core, but we are so much more.”

And so much more they are, as 92 Degrees barista Jake Whitehouse, 27 said: “I love working here purely because it’s such a relaxed vibe and although it may just seem like a cup of coffee, it’s nice seeing regular faces which makes this place have a sense of community about it.”

There's a relaxed vibe to 92 Degrees with a cool aesthetic shown by posters showcasing upcoming offers and events in and around Leeds — Get your own 92 Degrees coffee cup and join the club today

92 Degrees say, “Every day is a chance to change the world and it starts with a cup of coffee” so, head down to your nearest which can be found in the link below and see for yourself!