Daryl Smith, who works for Stevenage FC Foundation, has been named as their Premier League Community Captain.

He was presented with a framed shirt, a Community Captain armband, and a pennant by club captain Carl Piergianni ahead of the match against Cambridge United earlier this week.

Daryl has been nominated after dedicating nearly 15 years to the Foundation's work, engaging with thousands of people from all walks of life, and working tirelessly to making a positive difference to their lives.

He grew up in Stevenage - attending Collenswood School - and qualified as a bricklayer before becoming the Foundation's third ever employee in June 2009.

Initially, he was a community coach, and he was worked his way up to his current role as head of education and school sport at the Foundation.

In that time, he has seen the club go from Conference champions to League One play-off contenders.

He led the club's inclusive football teams, and has been involved in wider community football initiatives too, as well as helping improve the matchday experience at the Lamex Stadium for younger fans.

More recently, Daryl has led the rollout of the Premier League Primary Stars programme and helped with wider education work in Stevenage and surrounding areas.

READ MORE

He has mentored countless young people as apprentices at the Foundation - the official charity of Stevenage FC - many of whom still work in the team or have gone on to achieve great success elsewhere.

Daryl has also spearheaded the work with alternative provision, linking back to his previous role, supporting young people to access the best opportunities possible.

Joe Goude, the Foundation's CEO, said: “I first met Daryl back in 2010 when he was looking after the Stevenage PAN-Disability team, whilst I was working at Hertfordshire FA.

"He was a key part of the early launch of what has become the Hertfordshire Inclusive Football League, and fast forward years later, we’ve ended up as colleagues and the importance of the role he plays in the Foundation team cannot be described.

"In the last 14 years, Daryl has supported and worked with thousands of people from across our community, of all ages and background, championing Stevenage FC and using the badge to make peoples life better.

“In short, there would be no Stevenage FC Foundation without Daryl Smith.”

The Community Captain initiative is part of the Premier League's More than a Game campaign, which aims to shine a light on individuals making a positive difference in their local community.