Seagulls fans asked to bring £1 to next match to support club’s charity
Brighton & Hove Albion fans are being asked to take £1 with them to the Premier League game with Everton on Saturday to donate to Albion in the Community (AITC).
Each year the football club designates one home league fixture to showcase the impact AITC is having across Sussex and to give fans the chance to show their appreciation by donating to a pre and post-match bucket collection. This season fans will also have the option to make a contactless donation outside the stadium.
Last season generous Albion fans helped raised £35,000 at the home game with Wolverhampton Wanderers and the charity is hoping to top that total this Saturday when the Seagulls entertain Everton at the American Express Community Stadium.
AITC is one of the country’s leading football charities and now works with upwards of 40,000 people each year. That figure includes 8,500 pupils at 165 local schools, hundreds of people who play regular football at the charity’s sessions for players with a disability, and almost 200 people with cancer who AITC has helped stay active during and after treatment.
Seagulls fans have a long history of supporting AITC and regulars at the Amex are certainly proud of the work being done in the local area.
A national survey of Premier League fans carried out at the end of last season found 78% of Albion fans quizzed as part of the research agreed with the statement: When ranked alongside everything that my club does on and off the pitch, community initiatives are very important to me. That was compared to a Premier League average of 66%.
The survey also found 94% of Seagulls fans survey felt work in the community was an important part of the culture and philosophy of Brighton & Hove Albion.
AITC is now hoping the findings of a recent report into the impact the charity is having locally will provide extra motivation to supporters. Independent research found that for every £1 donated to AITC, the charity creates almost £9 of positive local benefit. That means if supporters match last season’s total, the fundraising at the Everton game will likely lead to upwards of £315,000 worth of local good.
Matt Dorn, AITC’s chief executive, said: “As a charity we invest more than £3million a year delivering our 60-plus projects, so events like Saturday are incredibly important to the charity and the people we work with.
“We know fans are proud of the work the charity is doing but none of it would be possible without their fantastic support.
“If everyone coming to the game on Saturday donated £1 to our bucket collection, we would raise a minimum of £30,000. That would fund the equivalent of six of our fortnightly football sessions for people with a disability for the next 12 months, helping hundreds of people enjoy the sport we all love so much.
“Put simply, the more money we raise, the more people we can help. “Every season we ask Albion fans to support our work with a donation, and every year they surprise us with their generosity.”