Celebrating One Year of the Affleck & Co. Collective: Setting Our Sights on the Future with our first ever Development Day

September marked a special milestone for the Affleck & Co. Collective — our first birthday! What started as an idea to bring together passionate, talented women with a wide variety of skills, experience and expertise, has grown into an impressive team who are delivering meaningful change in sport.

Over the past year, our Collective has worked on many exciting projects, each using sport as a tool for inclusion, empowerment, and positive social outcomes. From West Wales Partnership project to Football Foundation Diversifying Applicant Type project, our consultants have brought creativity, expertise, and energy to every piece of work. Together, we’ve shown that independent consultants can make an even bigger collective impact.

Looking Back: A Year of Growth and Momentum

Our first year has been about building relationships, systems, confidence, and reputation. We’re proud to have established ourselves as a reliable, flexible, and skilled network of professional freelancers that clients across the UK want to work with because, like us, they believe in doing things differently.

Our First Development Day

To mark our first birthday, we hosted our very first ‘Development Day’, bringing together our Senior Consultants and Subject Matter Experts in person for the very first time.

It was a day of reflection, collaboration, and forward thinking. We took time to celebrate what we’ve achieved so far, including the projects we’ve delivered, the relationships we’ve made and the confidence we’ve grown. We also took the time to look ahead and discuss how we can strengthen the Collective, support one another, and expand our reach to have an even greater impact.

The conversations were energising and honest, reflecting everything that makes Affleck & Co. special — a shared belief in the power of sport to transform lives, a commitment to doing brilliant work together, and the courage to tackle complex conversations with honesty and openness.

Looking Ahead: Our 3-Year Strategy

As part of the Development Day, we set the direction for the next three years. Our strategy is built around three key pillars that will guide how we work, grow, and make an impact:

1. Deliver brilliantly – Continuing to provide exceptional quality and value in every project we deliver.

2. Be seen, be understood, be asked – Growing our visibility and influence so that more organisations recognise our expertise and invite us to collaborate.

3. Strengthen and evolve our model – Building a sustainable, supportive, and future-focused Collective that empowers every consultant to thrive.

These pillars capture who we are and where we’re going. They’ll help us stay true to our purpose while expanding our reach and impact in the years ahead.

Building the Momentum

As we move into our second year, we’re more confident than ever in the strength of collaboration, the importance of purpose, and the incredible potential of sport to drive social change.

We’re grateful to everyone who has worked with us, supported us, and believed in what we’re building. The first year was just the beginning and we can’t wait to see what’s next!

If you’d like to learn more about how the Affleck & Co. Collective can support your organisation or project, we’d love to hear from you! Get in touch at hello@affleckandco.com 

Blog written by Lizzie Stanton, Affleck & Co. Collective - Senior Consultant.