Rivals4Charity allows ordinary football fans the opportunity to live out their dreams by becoming a professional footballer for a day!
Playing on hallowed turf playing for your favourite team against your fiercest rivals.
The event looks to break down barriers between rival football fans by bringing them together for one common cause which is to raise money for charity but it also provides the fans themselves with a day to remember. Rivals4Charity started in 2006 in Edinburgh between fans of Hearts and Hibernian, and over the past six years rivals have provided dozens of fans with one of the greatest days of their sporting lives by allowing them to live out their dream.
Since the event started in it has raised more than £60,000 for local charities such as Sick Kids Hospital, Simpsons Special Care Babies, CCLASP, Maggie’s Centre amongst others. In 2013 we have expanded the event to cover two more games over and above the existing Edinburgh match, now fans of Dundee and Dundee Utd and also Dunfermline and Falkirk will get the chance of playing in the Rivals4Charity matches, all three matches will take the same format as the Edinburgh one and we plan to work closely with the supporters trusts and clubs to promote the event.
We also plan on working with local universities to provide students real time work at the event such as photography, filming and physiotherapy which can go towards their coursework. Players involved in the event are invited to take part in some trial sessions where a coach will oversee everyone who has applied and chose the final squad who will play on the day, the match and trials are advertised using various means such as the football clubs official websites and match day programmes, football fans forums and the local newspapers, also now since the event is entering its seventh year in Edinburgh word of mouth plays a part too.
We also work with supporter trusts and clubs to promote the event, both to get players involved in playing but also for fans to come along to the match itself and support their team.
Make a difference and get involved!
The Rivals4Charity website (www.rivals4charity.co.uk) provides people with a great place to find out how to get involved and also to have a look at match reports, photos and highlights from previous events.
This year we have joined up with the Homeless World Cup Foundation. The Homeless World Cup has helped to change the lives to thousands of people in the UK and around the world since it started up in 2002. We work with 73 partners worldwide including our Scottish partner Street Soccer Scotland and our English partner The Homeless FA to fight homelessness through football and energising people who are socially excluded, combined with sport related personal development and training, to empower them to change their own lives for the better.
Scott Moncrieff
Football Events Director, Homeless World Cup
www.homelessworldcup.org
www.rivals4charity.co.uk
