A 17-hour long marathon of non-stop football is under way in South Shields.
This Friday, South Shields FC Foundation is hosting an extra long game from 7am until midnight with 250 people of all ages and abilities joining in at various times.
The aim is to help raise money for the construction of new community facilities.
The funds will pay for the creation of a mezzanine floor above its boxing gym and additional external areas for outdoor classes, allowing the Foundation to increase the number of learning, social interaction and health activities available to the community.
SSFC foundation previously secured funding but pandemic-related inflation left them with a shortfall to complete improvement works at its facilities.
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The first team and academy players, fans, foundation volunteers, and new SSFC manager Kevin Phillips are all taking part.
Prior to the pandemic, the Foundation had secured funding to add a mezzanine level and new external facilities to its Harton & Westoe Miners Welfare Centre headquarters.
However, increased costs caused by supply chain issues and inflation have left it short of the sum needed to complete the works.
Steve Camm, South Shields FC Foundation Manager, said: “We are a charitable social enterprise, which means that every penny we raise is spent delivering initiatives to help people within our community.
“After so much hard work to fundraise and secure funding for our facility improvements, it was devastating to see prices steadily rise to the point that we could no longer afford the work.
“In the last year, the Foundation has engaged with more than 2,000 people every week and delivered more than £5m in social impact. If we can raise the money to complete these works, we will engage more people through the many and varied programmes we carry out.”
Lee Picton, chief executive of South Shields FC, said: “Please support the morning to midnight football marathon event. Every single penny that we raise will help the Foundation continue to deliver some amazing community programmes, helping young people in our local area.”
SSFC Foundation is a social enterprise with a defined purpose to support the health and wellbeing of people of all ages living in South Shields.
The services deliver services and activities through five steps: social interaction, being physically active, understanding the community facilities, volunteering or giving charity, and developing skills.
At the time of writing almost £2,500 of the £5,000 target had been raised.
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