Every Child - Every Game!!

No child should miss out on football because their family cannot afford the boots!!

That is the simple idea behind our new initiative.

Middlesbrough and the wider Teesside area have some of the highest levels of deprivation in England, and we know that financial pressure on families can make participation in grassroots sport increasingly difficult.

The cost isn't just the weekly football fee.

There are boots, shin pads, training wear, match kit and all the other costs that come with a child playing football. And when children grow quickly and regularly need new footwear, those costs can become a significant burden.

We understand that because every member of Middlesbrough Over 40's F.C. started their own football journey at grassroots level.

We remember what it was like to rely on parents and families to provide the equipment needed to play. We also recognise that for some families today, that financial pressure is considerably greater.

That's why we want to do something practical.

Our ambition

We want to establish EVERY CHILD. EVERY GAME. as a Middlesbrough Over 40's F.C. community initiative providing football boots free of charge to children from financially disadvantaged families and communities across Middlesbrough and Teesside.

We intend to work with local grassroots football clubs, schools, community organisations and other trusted partners to identify children who would benefit from the scheme.

There will be no public identification of children receiving support and no stigma attached to it.

A child simply gets a pair of football boots and gets to do what they should be doing:

playing football.

We are looking for a founding partner

We are approaching leading football boot manufacturers and suppliers because we believe this initiative could become something genuinely significant.

We would be interested in discussing any form of support that could help us get the scheme established, including:

• Donating new football boots

• Providing surplus or end-of-line stock

• Supplying boots at a significant community discount

• Financially supporting the purchase of boots

• Providing vouchers that allow children to select their own boots

• Developing a longer-term community partnership

Our initial ambition is to provide at least 100 pairs of football boots during our first year, with the intention of increasing that number as the initiative develops.

With the right partner behind us, we believe we could make that ambition considerably larger.

Why Middlesbrough Over 40's F.C.?

We are not a professional football club with huge resources.

We are a grassroots football club made up of people who have spent our lives around the game.

We understand grassroots football.

We understand the importance of belonging to a team.

And we understand what it means to a child to have the opportunity to play.

We also believe that football clubs have a responsibility to give something back to the communities they represent.

EVERY CHILD. EVERY GAME. is our way of doing that.

We want this to be a genuinely local initiative. The support we secure will be used to help children here in Middlesbrough and across Teesside, working through trusted local organisations to ensure that the boots reach children who need them.

We would be delighted to discuss the idea further and explore whether there is an opportunity to work together as a founding partner. Please contact us at info@mfcover40s.co.uk