EFD Sport & Education
20 October 2025
Sector: Sport & Education
Location: Derby
Elite Football Development trading as EFD Sport & Education is on a mission to support young people, through sport and education.
The business was founded in 2019 by Derby County footballer, Ben Osborn together with former footballer/coach, Jack Andrews.
The Derby-based business started as a football coaching and P.E. provider in local schools and within the community. It soon recognised the positive impact that sport was having, not only in fostering relationships, but also in developing positive skills, behaviours and attributes that went way beyond the playing field.
Six years on the business has grown to a team of 11 and earlier this year proudly moved into its first office space on King Street in Derby.
Challenges faced
EFD Sport & Education has been extremely successful with exponential growth year-on-year. However, during this time it has outgrown some of its processes created at the outset. This is particularly the case for its impact reports provided to schools which are compiled manually from a range of different information sources. This was a laborious process.
In addition, growth has been organic and some of the key team members have other commitments outside of the business. This has made it difficult to focus on the strategic plan for growth going forward.
Solution – Support Given
Through the Accelerator programme, the business has accessed 1-to-1 support from East Midlands Chamber Business Adviser, David Smith. With support from David, EFD Sport & Education has applied for and successfully been awarded funding which includes:
- A £2,000 Growth Voucher which allowed EFD Sport & Education to bring in external expertise and coaching in strategic planning and goal setting to drive the business to the next level.
- The EMCCA High Growth Accelerator grant which has supported its purchase of industry-specific software. This enables faster and more consistent reporting for schools. The new software has also streamlined its processes which has enabled them to divert resources into other areas of the business.
Impact – The Difference it’s Made
Through the new software the business will be able to gather the data they need in a more efficient way. This indirectly will safeguard jobs in the future as it allows EFD Sport & Education to showcase how good the service is. They will also save many hours of work, which will free up its staff to push the business forward in other ways.
“David has been a great help from the beginning and if you’re a small business with big(ish) ideas, I’d definitely recommend reaching out.”
- Ben Osborn, Managing Director
