“About once every two weeks someone posts here saying they’re looking to play a bit of footy and if there’s anyone who needs a player.
“There’s always loads of interest and others say they want to play, too. Now that 5-a-side is going again, I think it’s time we take the plunge and set up our own team lads.”
That’s precisely what Football for Foodbanks founder Matty Cassell posted on an internet forum in 2020, and whilst that never came to fruition, something remarkable did. Football for Foodbanks is an organisation that sets up football games around the country, with the profits they make going to local food banks.
They run five, six or seven-a-side sessions in Manchester as well as other cities in the UK, and at the end of each month they either send a cash donation or complete a ‘big shop’.
“We like to coincide our big shops with a special occasion," said the head of the Manchester division, Tom Moore. "We organise friendlies with other charity teams such as Village FC who share our ethos of inclusivity in sport and also advocate for the tackling of food poverty issues.”
In June this year, the organisation hosted their first ever Football for Foodbanks tournament which brought together 150 players nationally. They each brought with them a bag of food and managed to fill a stand full of donations.
Whilst bringing food to football might not seem much to some, right now to a lot of people across the UK their donations mean everything. They work with clubs local to Manchester, including Libero Casuals, who help them deliver donations from players and supporters to food banks in need.
Speaking about the current cost of living crisis, Tom said: “The food banks that we work with are working tirelessly to help put food on the table for so many. They are struggling week by week to keep their doors open and shelves stocked.”
There are many sports teams, players and supporters out there that give back to the community whilst doing what they love, so why not join one of them?
Even if you’re not the best at football, they encourage those of all abilities to join. Tom finished by saying: “Football for Foodbanks shouldn’t need to exist.
“But when politics are impacting the day-to-day lives of people, your weekly five-a-side starts to become something more than a kickaround with your mates.”
