Supporters use sport challenges for fundraising

Supporters use sport challenges for fundraising

EFDN members support the fundraising for various social initiatives. But also the supporters of the professional football clubs are active in raising money for the clubs’ or other foundations. In the following we highlight some of the recent actions.

Rangers Charity Foundation 

Rangers supporter Allan Davis is running 5 km every day for a period of 50 days. With this he wants to support the Coming Home Centre in Govan. It is one of the Rangers Charity Foundation’s Armed Forces partners this season. The Centre’s mission is to serve those who have served, offering practical help and advice to veterans and a place to meet and enjoy peer support and camaraderie.

“Everyone is welcome there, veterans can get together, enjoy lunch or a cup of tea, and talk with their peers.  The Centre offers access to support and advice and also runs workshops, from music and art therapy classes to cooking and woodwork. It also helps those leaving the armed forces make the transition from military to civilian life, which can be a difficult time”, explains Davis his engagement.

Fulham FC Foundation 

Skye Porter has decided to raise money for the Fulham FC Foundation. The foundation of the English club builds better lives through sport. As the charitable arm of London’s oldest professional football club, FFCF delivers meaningful health, employability, education, disability, social inclusion, and physical activity programmes across London. Therefore, Skye Porter wants to cycle 130 miles over 2 days to raise money. His journey will take him from the Fulham stadium Craven Cottage in London to St. Andrews Stadium in Birmingham where he will attend the last Fulham game of the season vs. Birmingham.

“This ride will help the FFCF raise money which it will use in various ways in our community, including making sports more accessible for the elderly and people with disabilities.  They do some really cool stuff including, walking football for older or less active people, a fan active programme to get us middle-aged guys out on the pitch, and football for kids with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder), plus much more”, stated Porter.

Celtic Foundation 

Celtic fan Martin Donaldson has been watching the Hoops at Celtic Park since he was a boy but, along with a group of family and friends, he will be at the stadium for a very different reason on Saturday, May 5. The group will be taking on the enormous challenge of climbing each and every step inside Celtic Park, to raise funds for Celtic FC Foundation and the British Heart Foundation. The engagement is also a result of Donaldson’s personal background.

He was born with a congenital heart disorder and by the age of nine he had undergone numerous major operations. When he was 19-years-old, a serious infection caused a relapse in Donaldson’s recovery, which led to him undergoing life-saving heart surgery. He has since then been able to live a relatively healthy life but tragedy struck in 2014 when his brother, George, sadly passed away following a sudden heart attack.

“I’ve done bits and pieces of fundraising for them in the past but I was also really keen to get more involved with Celtic FC Foundation. The fact that one of the Foundation’s key areas of focus is health really struck a chord with me, so I wanted to do something in which I could raise funds for both”, said Martin Donaldson.