Football Aid would like to say thank you to all the Ground Staff of the participating Football Aid Clubs for their support in 2007. With their help, it has been our most successful season to date, generating close to £600,000 and allowing our parent charity, Field of Dreams, to pledge its 1 millionth pound to charity.
Football Aid was created as a unique way of raising money for a wide range of charities and voluntary organisations locally, nationally and around the globe. By hosting events at the UK's largest Clubs, we give fans the chance to take part in a range of unique football based experiential products including our original 'Live the Dream' event allowing supporters to play an adrenaline fuelled 90 minutes on the pitch of the Club they support.
The funds raised are distributed through our parent charity, Field of Dreams to diabetes research, education and management projects and also to charities nominated for funding by the Clubs that take part.
Since Football Aid's conception, over 350 games involving 9000 players have taken place on a UK Club, European and National level and our vision is to continue to deliver exciting and groundbreaking fundraising events that allow supporters to 'Live the Dream'.
Key to the success of any Football Aid event is our use of the pitch so, quite simply, without the dedication and support of the Ground Staff, there would be no Football Aid. We wish to demonstrate our gratitude through this article and by sharing with you recent recognition from Diabetes UK.
Field of Dreams awarded the charity £100,000 to support the first phase of their stem cell research project with Professor Peter Jones. With the first phase now reaching its conclusion, Candy Coe, Head of Relationships, got in touch to explain the impact the funds have made.
"The difference your gift has made is so significant, leading to the further development of the project and its second phase. The work has the potential to make a major impact on the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes, in terms of improving the quality of life for recipients, in reducing healthcare costs and in taking further steps towards our ultimate goal: the cure for diabetes. Thank you for all you are doing to support our vital cause."
The ultimate goal of Field of Dreams is to harness not just the power of football but the world of sport as a whole and use it as a medium to educate, fundraise for a variety of deserving causes and fundamentally, transform the lives of those in need.
Without your support, none of this would be possible. On behalf of Football Aid and Field of Dreams, and the thousands of people we have helped over the last six years, we offer our sincere thanks.
