How does football raise money for charity?

What does the Community Shield raise money for?

As of 2002, the Charity Shield donated 35% of its gate receipts to charities, according to The Guardian. Funds are now raised by the gate, programme sales, sponsorships, and TV deals. Hundreds of thousands of pounds are raised each year through the Community Shield – the 2006 competition raised more than £880,000. Two decades later, that number now amounts to millions.  

The Community Shield’s charity partners in the past have included the British Heart Foundation and Coaching for Hope, an organisation that has since merged with Tackle to offer support for those living with HIV in Africa. Funds are donated to teams in the lower leagues of football, with each team participating in the first round of the FA Cup receiving £5000 for their communities. 

In 2025, proceeds were donated to the FA’s official charity partner, The Alzheimers Society, community initiatives across England, and charities in Brent, the London Borough where Wembley Stadium is located. The Community Shield traditionally takes place at Wembley Stadium, although the 2026 match will take place in Cardiff at the Principality Stadium.  

The Community Shield typically takes place in August. The next match is scheduled for the 16 August 2026. 

What is the Sidemen Charity Match? 

The annual Sidemen Charity Match is fast becoming another key fixture in the footballing calendar. The Sidemen, a UK-based collective of streamers and YouTube personalities, have been organising charity football matches since 2016, raising more than £15 million for good causes over the last decade.  

Who are the Sidemen? 

Sidemen are a group of six online content creators, who share videos, challenges, sketches, and video game watch-alongs on their YouTube channels. Collectively, the Sidemen have more than 100 million followers and due to their success, have launched their own clothing brand, cereal, restaurant chain, and much more. 

The Sidemen are known online as Miniminter, Zerkaa, Vikkstar123, Tobjizzle (or TBJZL), Behzinga, and Wroetoshaw. Britain’s Got Talent judge and music artist KSI was a member of the Sidemen until May 2026.  

What is the Sidemen Charity Match? 

The Sidemen Charity Match is an annual football match between two teams of influencers and content creators, raising money for charities across Britain. The teams are known as Sidemen FC and YouTube Allstars.  

The first match was held in 2016 in Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium. The match raised more than £100,000 for Southampton FC’s charitable arm, Saints Foundation.  

The concept of the Sidemen Charity Match was established following the success of The Wembley Cup, a charity tournament in which the Sidemen participated in 2015. Since then, the match has raised more than £14 million for charity and received a Guinness World Record for highest live viewership of a charity sports match on YouTube. 

The success of the Sidemen Charity Match has led to numerous partnerships, most recently with BBC Sport, hosting its first ever watch-along for the 2026 World Cup.  

“We all started off as kids with an ambition and a hobby and this shows how far we can go,” Vikkstar123 told the BBC after the 2026 match, before promising “There will be more matches. That’s for sure.” 

What does the Sidemen Charity Match raise money for? 

As of 2026, the Sidemen Charity Match has raised more than £14 million for charity. The 2026 Sidemen Charity Match took place on 18 April at a sold-out Wembley Stadium and raised more than £6 million for charities M7 Education and Bright Side, a grant-making charity created by the Sidemen.  

Charities that have benefitted from the Sidemen’s fundraising in the past include:  

What is Soccer Aid? 

Soccer Aid is another important part of the shared history of football and fundraising. Soccer Aid recently celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2026 and has raised £137 million for humanitarian charity UNICEF since its inception. 

Who started Soccer Aid? 

Soccer Aid was the brainchild of singer Robbie Williams and his close friend and TV presenter Jonathan Wilkes. The event brings together celebrities and football legends – including Argentinian superstar Diego Maradona in the inaugural match – and splits them into two teams: England and The Rest of the World. To date, The Rest of the World has won the most Soccer Aid trophies, with eight to England’s seven.  

Many footballing legends have taken part in Soccer Aid since 2006, including: 

The event was previously held every two years until 2018, when it became an annual occurrence. In June 2019, the teams were comprised of mixed genders for the first time, with ex-England players Rachel Yankey and Katie Chapman joining the squad. 

What does Soccer Aid raise money for?

Soccer Aid raises money for UNICEF, a charity doing life-saving work to protect the rights of children across the world. The 2026 Soccer Aid match raised more than £16 million for UNICEF, to support the charity’s work in helping “children grow up safe, healthy and able to play”. 

“For 20 years, we’ve shared one goal: for children to grow up safe, healthy and able to play. Two all-star squads went head-to-head to protect play for every child,” explains Soccer Aid.  

“This year’s fundraising could help UNICEF create safe spaces in crises, deliver vital vaccinations and nutrition, support learning, and so much more to protect every child’s right to play.” 

What other charity football campaigns are there? 

While Soccer Aid and the Sidemen Charity Match are high-profile examples of football’s fundraising power, there is also a lot going on at a smaller (but no less fruitful) level.  

For example, comedian Alex Horne, best known for creating the TV show Taskmaster, annually holds a comedy football match at Chesham FC, in which he invites comedians to play football but not as we know it. Unorthodox rules are introduced, such as two balls on the pitch for a limited amount of time, and winners are rewarded with the Comedy Football Trophy for their efforts.  

The event is growing, with 2026 seeing corporate sponsors join the fun for the first time, highlighting how corporate social responsibility can connect with football fundraising. Proceeds from the 2026 event went towards Slough Homeless Our Concern and Thames Valley Adventure Playground.  

What other charity football campaigns are there?

There are many different charities doing work around football that goes beyond fundraising. Football Beyond Borders is a charity dedicated to helping children at the risk of exclusion from school develop skills, providing them with therapeutic interventions and mentoring support.  

Environmental charity Climate Outreach has created a programme called "Gamechanging Futures", working with grassroots football clubs to strengthen communities and take action against climate change. Over three years, the programme aims to train climate ambassadors to lead local engagement, support clubs to co-design sustainability plans, and create a national climate hub to share learning and resources.  

The Football Foundation, in partnership with the FA, the Premier League, and the UK Government, have launched an initiative called the Lionesses HERe to Play Fund, which gives grants to nonprofit football clubs, local authorities, and more to make facilities more inclusive for women and girls to play football. Organisations can apply for a grant of up to £25,000, with three quarters funded by the Football Foundation. 

There are many other ways to channel a love of football into charitable impact. Grassroots football clubs and supporters groups may have charity initiatives, just like the big Premier League giants have their foundation. Football fans and charity supporters (the Venn diagram is a circle) should look out for opportunities to continue bringing sport and good causes together.  

How can I host my own charity football event? 

So you’ve seen the success of the Sidemen, of Alex Horne, and Soccer Aid. Now you want to host your own football fundraising event.  

The good news is that you can quite easily because football is a relatively accessible sport. It doesn’t require expensive equipment or specialist knowledge. And, as we’ve established, it’s incredibly popular.

The fact it’s a team sport is also puts it hand in hand with fundraising. Research shows, for example, that Gen Z enjoy distance events for fundraising, but more than a fifth say that their friends not running, cycling, or swimming is a barrier to participation. Football has less barriers to entry than those sports – matches can range from a kickaround to something more competitive, but they can easily be played with friends.  

Essentially, football is an excellent subject for a fundraising event because people tend to be enthusiastic about it – there is often already a dedicated community around it. 

Hosting a football fundraising event, then, mostly follows the same principles as any fundraising event. But the community building is perhaps easier. 

Below, we share the stages involved in hosting a football fundraising event, from ideation to delivery.  

Clarify purpose and scale 

When creating your event, you should consider the purpose and how big you would like it to be. Is it a small fundraiser among your friends? Or something bigger in the local community? Choosing to host a football fundraising event means that you are already meeting people where they are, channelling their passion into charitable support.  

Think clearly about how money will be collected, whether through sponsorships, ticket sales, or digital fundraising options on the day (or a mixture). Pick fundraising options that suit your attendees. 

Set goals 

A football fundraising event requires both physical and metaphorical goals. Bags can sit in for physical goalposts, but fundraisers should think carefully about what they want to achieve in their metaphorical goals. 

Set goals for the number of attendees, participants, and money raised. This gives you something to drive towards and measure your progress against. The goals don’t have to be huge, just reasonable enough to aim for and track your success. If the event turns into a regular occurrence, you’ll be able to see what went right.  

Budget and logistics planning 

Set out your budget clearly, including venue, equipment, catering, accommodation, and other costs likely to be incurred by your event.  

Again, one of the great things about football fundraising events is that the only thing you really need is a ball. You can choose to host your event at a local park or approach your local grassroots football club for support. Consider partnerships with local organisations to keep costs down – they can even be your matchday sponsors.  

Keep in mind last minute costs that you might not have accounted for and include contingency money in your budget to cover anything unexpected. 
 

Health and safety 

For a sporting fundraising event, health and safety preparations are essential. As organisers, you are responsible for the health and safety of participants, volunteers, and attendees.  

As such, you should conduct a thorough risk assessment to determine the most likely risks and how to prevent or respond to them. You can find out more details on how to conduct a risk assessment here. 

It’s also worth noting that football is a contact sport – though much less so than other activities like rugby. Injuries are not uncommon so fundraisers should ensure there is help at hand should they occur. First aid charity St John Ambulance supports thousands of events every year, from big hitters like the London Marathon to smaller local gatherings.  

St John Ambulance has also put together a comprehensive list of guidelines to help organisers plan safer events. You can find their advice or submit a request for event medical cover here. 

For people playing football in a low-risk environment, you can also ask attendees to sign a liability waiver in case of injury or property damage. You can share on paper or electronically, or simply add it to their sign-up form, but make sure you keep a record.  

Marketing 

If your football fundraising event is determined to reach beyond your own networks, you need to think about how to market the event.  

Marketing your fundraising event can be as simple as creating a poster, sharing information on social media, or sharing leaflets.  

If you are creating your own graphics for your marketing materials, you should avoid using generative AI. Use of generative AI on posters has myriad ethical implications and generally diminishes the authenticity of your fundraising efforts. Using AI for image generation also has a negative environmental impact given the amount of energy it requires.  

For organisations that are considering using generative AI in their marketing materials, check out these AI imagery guidelines from charity video production company The Saltways. 

There are lots of freely available graphic design platforms or stock photo websites that can help you create unique marketing materials that reflect your community and don’t harm the environment.  

Tools include: 

To find more graphic design tools to help you create posters and other marketing materials, check out this article.  

For more information on how to market your fundraising events, watch the webinar below.  

Delivery  

The day of your football fundraising event is here. You can create some key documents to help the day run smoothly including: 

Make it as easy as possible for your attendees and participants to donate on the day. You can set up pages on third-party platforms such as JustGiving and provide QR codes that take people there directly. Or else you could consider using tools that collect donations through your phone using contactless technology. You can explore digital fundraising options in this article.  

Running a fundraising event can be stressful, but extremely rewarding. Make sure you take some time to celebrate the day and achievements of you and your participants.   

Football fundraising ideas 

Football and fundraising doesn’t have to be limited to hosting tournaments and matches. There are plenty of ways to get even the most hesitant football fan into fundraising, from sweepstakes to streaming. 

Here are just a few football fundraising ideas to help you raise money for your cause.  

Sweepstakes 

Tournament sweepstakes are always a good time, even if you don’t typically watch football. And it requires minimal effort on the part of the organiser, just up-to-date knowledge of which teams are in and which teams are out. 

Each sweepstakes participant pays a small fee to be included and is then assigned a team randomly. The entrance fee can form the prize pot, to be donated to a charity of the winner’s choice, or you can arrange other prizes for the winner. 

Sweepstakes are particularly good in a workplace environment as it brings teams together, boosting morale through a shared activity. You might find that everyone becomes very enthusiastic in their support of a team they’d previously never heard of. And no team can be counted out in tournament football.  

There are also variations on the traditional sweepstake that are just as fun. For example, you could ask each participant to guess which teams from each group will make it to the group stages or get them to predict scores for certain matches.  

Last Man Standing competitions work well for league football. Participants pay a small amount each week (or a larger entrance fee at the start) and pick a team that they think will win their next match. Each team can only be picked once during a season so participants have to think strategically. If their chosen team draws or loses, they are out of the competition. The entrance fee can form a pot that is donated to charity and the last person standing wins a prize.  

If running a sweepstake, a great way to create community around it is to post regular updates - who is still in and who has crashed out? What surprise results have there been? And what is at stake?  

There are many free resources to make running a sweepstake easier. There are lots of templates online while charities such as Blood Cancer UK and UNICEF have guides to holding a sweepstake on their website.  

Fantasy Football 

Fantasy football is a game where participants pick their teams from league players in the hopes that their players will earn them points for scoring goals, keeping clean sheets, and avoiding yellow and red cards. 

Millions of people play Fantasy Premier League every year, with more than 10 million joining in for the 2024/25 season. This provides an opportunity for fundraisers to tap into the enthusiasm of an already established community. You can find inspiration for Fantasy Football fundraising events in this article, including how to explore gaming for good. 

Football watch-alongs 

Online football fans are very vocal. Hosting football watch-alongs on streaming platforms can help raise money for charity by reaching out to an already very engaged audience. You can take inspiration from the football watch-alongs hosted by the Sidemen and the BBC during the 2026 World Cup. 

Streaming is already a popular fundraisng avenue for charities. It typically involves content creator watching something, playing a game, or hosting an event like a quiz or concert. Streaming offers an opportunity for charities to expand their reach and talk to people who might not have heard of them about their cause in an environment where they are already listening.  

Working with streamers brings good causes to their audience’s door, with minimal effort required because they would already be watching this livestream. And it provides charities ample time to really talk about their causes – streaming over the course of a football match would take around two hours.  

The Media Trust has created a really useful guide to support organisations with their own livestream, sharing the right tools and platforms to help them get started.  

Virtual football 

Football fundraising doesn’t always require a physical ball, or even a physical team. There are extremely popular football video games, such as FIFA and Football Manager.  

Gamers already have shown their power in the world of fundraising. In 2023, more than $400 million (roughly £302 million) was through streaming platform Twitch, which is popular with gamers.   

Particularly during high-profile footballing events like the World Cup, or even during the break of the football season, gamers might consider playing football video games to raise money for charity. They can introduce challenges to boost donations e.g. pledge £10 to play as a certain team or footballer.  

As Georgia Paton, former Gaming and Streaming Manager at British Red Cross points out, it is important that charities enter the streaming space with curiosity and collaboration in mind. Gamers don’t need gaming tips, they need your fundraising expertise.  

“It’s about being really open to hear what people think who are going to be your fundraisers or who are from the space so that you can create something that they’d want to be part of," says Georgia. "I think that’s really important."

To find out more about Gaming for Good, listen to the podcast below.