AITC launches Cost of Living Appeal fundraising campaign
Albion in the Community has launched a fundraising campaign to help support people in Sussex through the cost of living crisis.
Times are tough and families are having to cut back more than ever, which means that there are children all over Sussex whose parents can’t afford to pay for their football sessions.
We don’t think money should be a barrier for any child who wants to enjoy the beautiful game. That’s why we run our free Premier League Kicks sessions in towns and cities across the county, giving children from deprived areas a positive activity to look forward to every week.
We also have a bursary which families can use to help fund our paid-for football activities. We can only provide this help because of the generous support that Albion fans provide for us year after year.
To help raise money for this, we have launched our Cost of Living Appeal which will run throughout April.
The campaign will kick off with the men’s first team game against Brentford on 1 April, which is Albion in the Community’s official Community Matchday.
Click here to help us provide access to football for all – donate to our Cost of Living Appeal.
Mum Susan and her four kids are one family that directly benefits from our support.
No one understands the life-changing power of football quite like Susan, a mum-of-four from Moulsecoomb.
Susan’s three sons – Brady, Aidan, and Oscar – are completely football-mad Albion fans and all three of them attend our Moulsecoomb Premier League Kicks football sessions, which are free to attend for any child in the local area
Mum Susan says Kicks has been a lifeline for her boys. Last year, the boys’ dad sadly passed away. It was a devastating time and a huge challenge for the family.
His illness put a lot of strain on the boys, and Susan says that Kicks was a place they could go and forget about everything for a couple of hours.
Susan told us: “When their dad was ill they were at home a lot caring for him, but on a Thursday they could go to Kicks and just enjoy it.
“It took pressure off them. Thursday was their time.”
All three of her sons play football all the time, which Susan happily encourages.
“My kids properly love football, all of them. They hate missing it,” she said.
“It’s football mad in this house, they all love it. Brady has had a ball in his hands since he could walk.
“They look forward to football, and it takes their mind off things. They’ve had [Kicks coach] Sadie not just as a coach, but as a supportive figure.”
For Brady in particular, who has learning difficulties and epilepsy, Kicks has been transformative.
“I have noticed a massive change in Brady since he started playing at Kicks. Brady has special needs, and he used to come home from school, go straight upstairs and straight to his room. He wouldn’t really speak to kids his own age.
“Since starting Kicks he’s had a massive change. His confidence has gone up, and he’ll happily speak to kids his own age.
“He’s come out of his shell a lot.
“Kicks has been brilliant to him. Sadie always asks Brady how he is, if he needs any help. I just think it’s wonderful what they do. They do so much for the community.
Brady, 16, loves encouraging the younger players to get involved – even if they don’t want to play, Brady encourages them to be a ref or a coach.
“I love football a lot. It’s exciting, because anything can happen,” Brady told us.
“I love Kicks, you get to help people and learn different stuff like how to have fun and be competitive.
“It’s nice to be able to have a break and enjoy football.”
Mum Susan is full of praise for Kicks, and she says that most of the kids who live down her street also attend.
By being free to attend, Kicks has made football accessible to her children.
Without Kicks, she says, Susan would have to choose which of her kids would get to play.
“Kicks is amazing, it really is,” she said, “it’s so good because it’s free as well.
“If I had to pay, I’d have to choose which one of my kids would be able to go.
“Because it’s free, they can all go together and play as brothers, which is really an amazing thing.”
Brady, too, is very grateful that he and his brothers can play together.
“It’s nice to be able to play with my brothers at Kicks too. I like to beat them!” Brady told us.
Brady has been inspired by the supportive coaches at Kicks, and now he wants to follow in their footsteps.
“When I’m older I want to do something to do with football, like being a coach,” he said.
Thanks to the support Albion in the Community receives, we can provide free football sessions to the people who truly need them the most.
Susan left us with this remark: “Brighton have done so much for my kids. Thank you.”
You can support AITC by donating to our Cost of Living Appeal fundraising campaign. Donate here.
This article was written when our name was Albion in the Community. As of August 1 2023, we are the Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation.