Ian Donaldson, CEO of Atlanta Group, has teamed up with football stars Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jamie Carragher and Anthony Gordon on a new initiative to support young people from disadvantaged communities.
Football for Change UK, which is sponsored by Swinton Insurance, has been launched today (Friday 7 August 2020). The initiative brings together business leaders and Premier League football stars in a collaborative effort to support young people who are not in education, employment or training and talented young people in challenged communities who face barriers to achieving their full potential.
Through a variety of major fundraising activities, Football for Change UK will distribute grants to organisations supporting young people in the most deprived areas of the north west with a particular focus on supporting them into education, employment and training. It will also offer support to talented young people who face economic and social barriers to fulfilling their potential.
Football for Change UK will also use football stars involved and business leaders, who have succeeded in the face of adversity, as role models to promote social mobility.
Commenting on the launch of Football for Change UK, Ian Donaldson, CEO of Atlanta Group, said:
“Football for Change is special. It is a unique and powerful collaboration between sports stars and business leaders who have come together to help young people who are facing hardship in some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country.
Our aim is to help them overcome the social and economic challenges they face to build better futures. Having personally experienced a tough upbringing in Stoke on Trent, the aims of Football for Change are particularly close to my heart. I am incredibly proud to have helped launch this initiative and I am delighted that Swinton is playing a major role as founding partner.”
Liverpool FC star Trent Alexander-Arnold said:
“Football for Change is about helping young people onto a positive path. It is footballers and football fans coming together with a goal to help improve the life chances and opportunities of young people from some of the most challenged neighbourhoods in the country. It is a brilliant initiative and I know from growing up in Liverpool that it is needed now more than ever.”
Jamie Carragher said:
“Football for Change can change lives by giving young people, who’ve often felt left out or left behind, a fair chance in life. It is all about giving them the tools to do something positive whether that be in education, employment or in sport. It is fantastic to have the support of Ian who I know is incredibly passionate about making a difference with this.”
Football for Change UK’s official fundraising gala launch will take place in February next year.
The organisation is inviting other business leaders to take part by visiting www.footballforchange.org.uk
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