OCS delivers facilities management services for Everton Football Club. From the outset of the contract, OCS, Everton, and Everton in the Community shared a clear ambition: to create opportunities for people across Liverpool, particularly those living in areas facing long-term unemployment and lower levels of investment. Together, the partnership has created a model that shows how stadium-based FM contracts can deliver meaningful social value, measurable outcomes and long-term progression for local people.
A Values-Led Partnership
The partnership began during mobilisation, when OCS needed to recruit colleagues for a wide range of FM roles at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium. Everton in the Community brought essential local knowledge, relationships and credibility, enabling OCS to reach people who might not otherwise engage with employment opportunities.
About Everton in the Community
Everton in the Community is the official charity of Everton FC. It delivers more than 60 bespoke programmes each year, supporting people of all ages through education, skills, employment, health and community development. Its trusted presence and deep connection with local neighbourhoods made it the ideal partner to guide OCS’s community-focused recruitment and employability approach.
“Everton in the Community opened doors that would have taken us much longer to reach on our own. People trust their presence. When you combine that trust with real jobs and a clear pathway, people come forward. The values between us have aligned from day one.”
Lucy Haddon
Head of Contract Support, Private Sector FM, Venues – UK&I
Dual-branded recruitment events brought together OCS, Everton in the Community and the Department for Work and Pensions. Holding interviews and employability sessions at the former Goodison Park Stadium created familiarity, confidence and a strong sense of welcome. Attendance averaged at around 80 per cent, much higher than typical recruitment events.
The relationship grew through transparency, shared purpose and consistent follow-through – essential foundations in communities where trust must be earned.
Timeline of Social Value Delivery and Impact
Phase 1: Community Engagement and Recruitment
Starting with a series of community focused recruitment events at Goodison Park, the sessions brought local people together with colleagues from OCS and Everton in the Community in a familiar, trusted setting. Across these events, 214 people from the area took part in interviews and employability conversations. From this group, 154 individuals (72%) were offered roles, including positions on the Everton FC facilities management contract and opportunities across wider OCS services. Several of these colleagues have since moved into full-time, sustained employment. This initial phase demonstrated how combining local insight, accessible venues and genuine opportunities can create strong engagement and meaningful outcomes for communities.
PHASE 2: Sustained Collaboration After Stadium Opening
After the Dickinson Hill stadium opened, the partnership continued to support new starters, resolve individual challenges and maintain a smooth entry into work. Maxine Roberts, Adult Enrichment Manager, Everton in the Community, described the impact of this approach:
“There has to be integrity in a partnership like this. People need to know that promises are kept and support is there when it’s needed. Working with OCS has been honest and collaborative throughout, and that makes a real difference to the people we support.”
Maxine Roberts
Adult Enrichment Manager, Everton in the Community
Phase 3: Building Long-Term Career Pathways
A practical example of how local partnerships can support young people into work is Everton in the Community’s role in delivering the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer initiative. The UK Government funded pilot focuses on 18 to 21 year-olds from the local area who are not in education, employment, or training, bringing together employers, training providers, and support services to help them take a first step into work or further learning.
Everton in the Community is leading on Liverpool’s Trailblazer programme, in partnership with OCS, by providing opportunities in facilities management. The initiative combines employability support with hands-on experience, and candidates can gain accredited qualifications alongside live-event work experience.
The programme is another successful employability initiative. It introduces young people from the area to a sector they might not have previously considered, helping to build confidence, capability and, ultimately, sustainable employment.
The Blueprint for Social Value in Stadium FM
This partnership demonstrates how facilities management can support genuine social value when organisations combine their strengths and act with shared purpose. The emerging blueprint includes:
- Values alignment from the outset: Shared purpose created a strong foundation.
- Trusted community presence: The reputation of Everton in the Community encouraged people to engage with confidence.
- Real jobs and progression routes: OCS provided meaningful roles and career pathways, not only short-term placements.
- Multi-partner collaboration: OCS, Everton in the Community, Department for Work and Pensions, and training providers delivered a coordinated approach.
- Accredited and practical training: The Youth Guarantee Trailblazer model blends qualifications with real experience in FM environments.
- Scalability: Other Premier League and major venue contracts could adopt this model and replicate the social value impact.
“This is a model that could be delivered across other stadiums. If it works here, it can work nationally. It gives young people something tangible, something that opens a career pathway they may have never seen before.”
Maxine Roberts
Adult Enrichment Manager, Everton in the Community
Leadership Perspective
The partnership has strengthened relationships between OCS and the wider Everton community has demonstrated the broader impact that FM contracts can deliver.
“This partnership brings everything we believe in together: trusted relationships, strong service delivery and proactive community impact. As someone who has supported Everton all my life, I understand the pride and connection this club has with its local area. Working alongside Everton in the Community to create opportunities for local people is something our colleagues value deeply, and it shows what responsible facilities management can achieve.
Bruce McDonnell
Managing Director, Private Sector FM – UK
Partnership Conclusion
The social value and social mobility partnership between Everton FC, OCS and Everton in the Community has delivered significant outcomes for local people and established a clear model for social value in sports stadium FM. Its strength lies in collaboration, shared values, and the belief that everyone deserves the opportunities and conditions to build progress.
The work continues, with plans to expand employability and skills programmes and support young people into sustainable careers. This partnership reflects the OCS mission of making people and places the best they can be, and demonstrates how thoughtful, community-focused FM can create lasting impact.
