Football comes together in support of the armed forces community

Football comes together in support of the armed forces community

2022/23 Poppy Appeal.

Each year, Premier League, EFL and WSL clubs from across England and Wales proudly adorn the poppy to their playing shirts for the fixtures around Remembrance Day as a mark of respect and solidarity with the Armed Forces community.

In 2022, as with previous years, these shirts then went under the hammer to raise vital funds for the incredible work of the Royal British Legion.

Thanks to the generosity of football fans, the auction of shirts from this year’s Remembrance fixtures has been the most successful to date, raising more than £799,000 for the armed forces community.

Where does the money go?

The money raised helps the Royal British Legion to provide comprehensive support to the Armed Forces community across key areas like financial support, advice, employment, mobility, housing, and mental health. Their Battle Back Centre offers transformative assistance to wounded, injured, or sick armed forces personnel and the programme is designed to help grow confidence and improve motivation. Delivered alongside expert coaching, it also helps to develop positive thinking – focusing on what someone can achieve instead of what they cannot.

A record breaking year:

Since 2019, the Royal British Legion have worked with MatchWornShirt to bolster their fundraising efforts and give football fans the chance to own a unique piece of sporting memorabilia by bidding for the shirts worn in these remembrance fixtures. In the four years of working together more than £2 million has been raised, with 2022 representing the most successful year yet with football fans helping to raise more than £799,000.

Ben France, Head of Corporate Partnerships at the Royal British Legion commented: “The support of football fans across the county has been invaluable to our operation. The generosity shown through the auction of shirts but also via bucket collections and other activations really makes such a difference.”

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