Sunderland AFC players to spotlight Foundation of Light with Dedicated Matchday warm-up shirts

The Sunderland AFC team will have a different look when they take to the Stadium of Light pitch for their warm-up on Saturday.

The Black Cats’ home fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion is dedicated to Foundation of Light, celebrating the life-changing work delivered across the North East.

To mark the occasion, The Lads will warm up in one-off shirts adorning the Foundation of Light logo and encouraging supporters to make a donation to Sunderland AFC’s official charity.

After the game, fans will have the opportunity to own one of the unique shirts, which will be auctioned to raise vital funds towards the Foundation’s mission to inspire, educate and support people of all ages across the region through the power of football.

Funds raised during Foundation of Light Matchday will help the charity provide inclusive activities for children from all backgrounds, social sessions for over-55s, and employability mentoring for economically inactive young people.

There will be plenty of opportunities for fans to donate on Saturday, including:

• Bucket collectors positioned around the Stadium of Light and within the Beacon Fan Zone, where donations will help fund programmes that change lives across Wearside and beyond.
• The Ha’way and Play Matchday Lottery will take place, with £2 tickets offering fans the chance to win £1,000 or a squad signed ball, while directly supporting the Foundation’s work in the community.
• Texting FOLFIVE to 70085 to donate £5 (You will be charged £5 plus your standard network rate message.)

Foundation of Light chief executive, Lesley Spuhler, welcomed the support: “We are incredibly grateful for the support of Sunderland AFC in giving us this opportunity to showcase the Foundation of Light.

“The chance to have the players wearing the Foundation logo helps shine a spotlight on the challenges many in our community face, and the work that we do to create opportunities, provide essential support, and help change lives for the better.

“Even if half of the supporters in the ground were to text to donate, it would raise £100,000 to support our work, which would be life-changing.”