For more than two decades, sports project worker Marrie Wieczorek has been a cornerstone of Middlesbrough's work in the local community.
Born and bred in the town, Wieczorek has been with Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation since it formed in 1996 as it engages and inspires people of all ages across the region.
As the MFC Foundation celebrates its 20-year anniversary, Marrie has been talking about why its work is so important.
"Through football, lots and lots of good things can happen," she said. "You really can get through to people with football no matter what age and what ability.
"People take lots of different things from it. They come here and end up getting hooked on the different aspects that we do.
"Come along, try it, don't just judge on the first session, come for a few sessions and I am sure the camaraderie and the fun that they have is as good as the physical side."
The MFC Foundation has made significant impact in the area over the last 20 years, engaging with over 500,000 people, delivering more than 20,000 qualifications and working with 90% of schools on Teesside.
WATCH | Follow the link to see how @MFCFoundation raises aspirations and changes lives on Teesside - https://t.co/gpXbts7J5O pic.twitter.com/cHug4CDdy3
— Middlesbrough FC (@Boro) November 16, 2016
Its achievements were celebrated last week at an Anniversary Dinner at the Riverside Stadium, with special guests Alan Peacock, Steve Vickers, Julio Arca and goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos in attendance.
"The least we can do as footballers is to try to give something back, and I'm always glad to help the Foundation," Konstantopoulos told mfcfoundation.co.uk. "It's a privilege and an honour to be even asked to get out there and help, especially with the young people who are the future of this area."
Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation run a wide variety of programmes, from Football Fans In Training which helps men lose weight, Team Talk which tackles loneliness and isolation to the Futsal & Education Scholarship, which combines academic studies with sporting performance.
Last season, more than 35,000 people were engaged across the Tees Valley, enterprise education was delivered to more than 3,000 students while 78% of the MFC Foundation's Futsal & Education Scholars went on to achieve a place at university.
