Sunderland star Pierre Ekwah named 2024 Community Champion

Sunderland footballer Pierre Ekwah has been named as Foundation of Light’s Community Champion by the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) for the 2023-24 season.

The midfielder was delighted to take the award, saying that it’s "great to give back" after the support they receive from fans "every single day."

The PFA Community Champions Award aims to raise awareness of the support that players provide to their club's community activities.

Ekwah, 22, has been a "shining example" of this support, engaging with Foundation of Light activities with enthusiasm throughout the campaign.

The Frenchman made his first visit to the Beacon of Light as part of EFL Week of Action, taking a tour of the facilities and learning more about the role of the Foundation, which is the charitable arm of SAFC.

Ekwah even stayed behind after the rest of the squad left to chat and have his picture taken with participants.

He star has also joined in cooking sessions, supported World Book Day and backed the Heart on your Sleeve fundraising campaign.

After receiving the award, Ekwah said: “I didn’t know about it, but it definitely was a nice surprise.

“It’s really important, whether it’s kids, people my age or older, it’s nice to give back to the community.

“They support us every single day and at the stadium every matchday, I just think it’s great as players to come and give back to them any way we can.

“World Book Day was really good. I really enjoyed it and I got the award as well. The day in the kitchen was a top one.

“So, all the time when I was seeing players doing community work, in my head I always thought ‘I want to do that, I want to give back to the community.’

“I just think it’s not really difficult, it’s not a task for me. It’s just something that I love to do and I do it with a smile on my face.”

Foundation of Light managing director Jamie Wright said: “Pierre always comes in with a big smile on his face and you can tell that he gets as much enjoyment from it as the participants do.

"It makes a real difference to the work we do when the players are so engaged and we really do appreciate their support."