Three knockout football-related campaigns to inspire your 2024 fundraising strategy
Football is a cultural phenomenon that transcends borders and cultures. Boasting a fan following of 3.5 billion people, stretching from the favelas of Brazil to the bustling streets of Mumbai, it unites people in a way that no other sport does.
For this reason, the beautiful game provides charities with unique opportunities to raise awareness and boost those all-important funds.
Planning your fundraising activity for 2024? Why not capitalise on EURO2024 fever by slipping a football fundraiser into the schedule?
To inspire you, we’ve pulled together three footie-related charity campaigns that demonstrate how charities are harnessing the power of football to change lives.
1. Homeless World Cup
The Homeless World Cup is an annual, week-long street football tournament.
Organised by the Homeless World Cup Foundation, it brings together more than 500 players from 80+ countries, all of whom have faced homelessness and social marginalisation.
Each year, the event takes place in a purpose-built stadium in an elected host city (think Amsterdam, Mexico City and Milan). The charity covers the players travel costs, and they get to experience the thrill of representing their country in front of 80,000 spectators.
The goal
The global tournament was launched in 2003 with two goals in mind.
1. to inspire people who are homeless to change their lives.
2. to raise awareness of the global issues surrounding homelessness
And it delivers on both counts.
The tournament gives players (who often feel socially isolated) the opportunity to become part of a community. As former player, Michael Omlin explains in this impact study: “football has given me an alternative to my troubled day to day living. I have something I really want to fight for. That improves my mental and physical condition. The best thing is you experience all this in a team. We were fighting together for one aim - that is something I have not been doing for a long time.”
As for raising awareness, by the end of the 2016 Homeless World Cup in Glasgow, 86% of attendees said they were more aware of the issues facing people who are homeless.
If you’re looking for proof that football can change lives, there it is.
2. Soccer Aid for UNICEF
Celebrity ambassadors can be a huge coup for charities.
Take popstar, Robbie Williams. In 2006, he masterminded Soccer Aid for Unicef - an annual charity football match that sees a host of celebrities and football legends battle it out on the pitch to raise money for the humanitarian organisation.
The 90-minute, all-star match, which has attracted the likes of Wayne Rooney, Luís Figo, Woody Harrelson, and Damian Lewis, is enjoyed by 75,000 spectators.
For those who aren’t lucky enough to nab a ticket, the game is also broadcast live on ITV.
Since its inception, the initiative has raised over £75 million to support projects for children around the world. In 2022 alone, it raised a record-breaking £15.6 million.
A prime example of the power of celebrity ambassadorship.
3. Mental Health World Cup
When the first Mental Health World Cup kicked off at QPR’s Loftus Road ground in 2012, it marked an incredible milestone for founder, Giancarlo Gaglione.
The 42-year-old launched the tournament in memory of his late brother Lanfranco, who died by suicide in 2012, aged 27.
The event started a small-scale, grassroots affair, that took place at Downhills Park in Haringey. Today, it’s the UK’s biggest five-a-side, community-led charity footie tournament.
This year, 40 teams took to the pitch in a bid to be crowned Mental Health World Cup champions. Cheered on by a crowd of 18,000 they raised an impressive £110,000 for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), which supported Giancarlo through his grief.
And the event is set to grow. In 2024, there will be more teams, more sponsorship opportunities, and more money raised to support CALM in its fight against male suicide.
Community fundraising at its finest.
Final Word
Whether you love it or loathe it, there’s no denying the power of football. So why not use it to your advantage?
Looking for a footie-mad fundraiser to lead the charge? We can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 to talk tactics.