PHOTO: Michael Edwards, Senior Vice President and General Manager at AMEX, and Dick Knight, Chair of Albion in the Community, join Caroline to celebrate the work of AITC on the House of Commons terrace.

It's not often that the worlds of football and politics meet. But in January I was delighted to be able to host a reception on Parliament's famous terrace for the award winning charitable arm of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, Albion in the Community (AITC).

Since the opening of the fantastic new Amex stadium, a lot of effort has gone into making it a genuinely community facility - and AITC has become one of the most effective community sport organisations in football today.

Many of its initiatives take place at the stadium itself, with Amex staff acting as volunteers or business mentors. Success stories include the Disability Football programme, which won six national awards in 2010, and Football & Sports Participation, the longest standing AITC initiative which directly benefited over 21,000 young people in 2009. This is especially important in light of Government's cuts to the Schools Sports Partnership.

AITC shows the potential of football to be a really positive force in people's lives, and I very much look forward to working with the team in the years to come.