#287 ‘Harnessing Football for Community Impact’ Marc Leckie CEO at Tottenham Hotspur Foundation

Welcoming Marc Leckie, who leads one of the UK’s most prominent football club foundations - part of the wider Premier League network of community charities. In this conversation, he explains how the Foundation uses the power of the club’s brand to deliver programmes that improve wellbeing, build skills, and create real pathways into work.

From safe spaces and mental health support to apprenticeships and stadium-based jobs fairs, the focus is on long-term impact - not one-off projects.

Marc also speaks candidly about his own lived experience, the pressures of leadership, and how to sustain yourself in purpose-driven roles.

A veteran in sport-for-good, Marc brings around 25 years of experience across community foundations and youth development. Before joining Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, he was CEO of the Harlequins Foundation and spent 17 years at Charlton Athletic Community Trust, leading programmes focused on inclusion, education, and young people.

At the heart of his work is a simple idea: sport can create opportunity, belonging, and lasting social change.

Marc explains that a major football club’s identity provides a trusted gateway for people who might hesitate to engage with formal institutions. The badge opens doors - not just to participation, but to career possibilities across areas such as STEM, media, heritage, operations, and community work.