Boot appeal supports young children in Sussex
Children who attend Albion in the Community’s (AITC) Premier League Kicks sessions have begun to benefit from a boot appeal we held in February.
Before the men’s fixture against Aston Villa on 26 February we held a boot collection outside the American Express Community Stadium, asking Albion fans to donate their unused or unwanted football boots.
We held the boot appeal after identifying a growing number of children at its sessions who can’t afford appropriate footwear to take part.
The boots we collected were earmarked for participants involved in our Premier League Kicks free football programme, in order to provide new pairs of football boots to families who need them the most.
On the day of the Aston Villa game AITC staff collected more than 100 pairs of boots from fans attending the match.
However, in the following days and weeks that number grew significantly.
A large number of fans visited the stadium in the days after the Aston Villa game to donate their unused boots.
Brighton & Hove Albion’s men’s and women’s team also backed the appeal, with players from the first teams, development squads, and academy donating their boots.
A number of first team players donated their personal boots to this appeal, including stars like Joel Veltman, Victoria Williams, Steven Alzate, and Maya Le Tissier.
In total we have now collected more than 300 pairs of football boots, and many PL Kicks participants have already been allocated a pair of boots.
Matt Dorn, chief executive of AITC, said after the appeal: “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity our fans have shown in this appeal.
“Football plays a key part in making a difference to people’s lives, and we want to make sure there are no financial barriers preventing people from taking part.”
To find out more about the life-changing work of Albion in the Community visit: www.bhafcfoundation.org.uk