Pete Whiteley has been named as Chesterfield’s Community Captain in recognition of the work he has done for the Community Trust for over 20 years.
Commenting on the award, Pete said: “It was a little bit of a surprise. I’m pleased that they do recognise the work that goes on in the community.”
Pete is a lifelong Chesterfield supporter, who watched his first game in 1972 before soon joining the Supporters’ Club. His first ‘off the field’ involvement with Chesterfield FC was with the Supporters’ Trust in 2002, volunteering with community work before taking a place on the board of Trustees and ultimately becoming the chair of Trustees for a period.
Pete’s work with the Trust then saw him oversee both the Heritage and Governance areas of work. The Heritage piece saw Pete and other fans volunteer tirelessly to build the Chesterfield FC Memorial Garden, giving the community a space to reflect and remember loved ones. Pete is the resident expert on Chesterfield FC history and oversees the archive of programmes, shirts, film, photographs and memorabilia.
As well as his voluntary work with the club and Trust, Pete runs the Spireites Speakeasy group, allowing fans to come and chat to people from the club. This helps combat loneliness and social exclusion and improve people’s mental health through using the power of Chesterfield FC and football to bring people together.
Pete is also the Trust and club’s disability liaison officer, ensuring that members of the community with disabilities enjoy football as much as anyone else.
Pete is proud of the work done by the Community Trust and he is looking forward to playing his part in the organisation’s continued expansion.
He said: “I think our community ownership of the football club and the work done by the Community Trust is remarkable. I think we’re going to continue to expand and try and reach out to more and more people.”
