From the boardroom

Chief operating officer Chris Pearlman brings fans up to date on events and progress off the pitch at Swansea City in today's edition of Jack Magazine.

Good afternoon and welcome back to the Liberty.

One of the developments off the pitch which we are most proud of this season is the constructive and proactive way the club is utilising our resources, influence and reach to help various charitable causes.

You may have noticed that for each home league fixture this year we have had a different designated charitable partner. We will continue this for the entirety of the season.

Today’s charitable partner is Time to Change Wales, an organisation which is committed to raising awareness for, and ending the stigma around, mental health issues.

We did some internal work with them last year and were very impressed by their message and the importance of the cause.

Previous fixtures saw us promote meaningful causes Cariad, Welsh Blood Service, Care for Combat, Samaritans Cymru and Alzheimer’s Society Cymru. You’ll see us support a variety of other initiatives as the season progresses.

On their designated matchday, each charity partner is able to connect with supporters, showcase the work they do and promote their cause outside the Liberty, inside the Jacks Zone and within the stadium in the West Stand’s Sinclair Lounge.

We provide further support for the charity by helping to raise awareness of their cause through pre-match editorial coverage on our website and through our social media channels. We give them all tickets to use on their designated day as well as a page in the matchday programme.

We can look to customise the presence we provide each charity partner if there are other club-controlled assets we are able to leverage that make the most sense for them individually.

The significant reach of our various media channels, combined with the loyal support of our fanbase more broadly and large crowds on matchdays, makes for an impactful platform for charities to get their messages out into the community.

Beyond this important matchday initiative, as a club we have decided to put a considerable amount of support this season behind Matthew’s House, which provides a warm and welcoming home in the heart of Swansea to assist the homeless and most vulnerable in the community.

The Swans will be supporting Matthew’s House throughout the season on specific projects from a financial and profile-raising perspective.

Leading from the front is club legend Leon Britton, who has agreed to become the first Matthew’s House ambassador.

Our staff paid a visit there a few weeks back to lend a helping hand in person.

Last year, as you may recall, following the tragic death of local footballer Mitchell Joseph, we launched the successful defibrillator programme with Cariad where we pledged to buy a defibrillator for each goal we scored.

These defibrillators were placed at playing fields throughout Swansea and local football leagues in the area.

From the time we launched the programme to the end of last season, the club was able to give away 38 defibrillators.

We are continuing our commitment to Cariad this year by agreeing to provide a new defibrillator for each match we win.

The club’s commitment to charitable causes is obviously not new. Our Give a Jack a Jacket campaign two seasons ago saw the club help give away thousands of winter coats through kind donations from the local community.

We were proud to have won the Football Business Awards prize for the Premier League’s club marketing campaign of the year for that initiative.

As you are all likely aware, the local work that the Community Trust does on a daily basis also benefits many individuals, schools and youth programmes.

To learn more about how you can help any of these charities, or if you have a cause which you’d like to have considered for our matchday charity programme, please email us at charity@swanseacity.com. While we will obviously will not be able to get behind every great cause, we will do our best to support a range of important initiatives, especially those that tie-in closely to the Swansea community.