Young Birmingham Footballers Hit The Back Of The Net With Their Fundraising

Young footballers in Birmingham hit the back of the net with their fundraising for our charity, raising over £6,000 by completing various fundraisers for sick kids over the last four years.

Bournville Warriors Football Club’s Under 16s team have been enthusiastic supporters of our Children’s Hospital since 2022, with many of the players themselves having received treatment from our hospital’s expert staff over the years.

It’s also important to the coaches that as well as instilling good discipline and camaraderie from footballing perspective, they also give the young players a sense of community and desire to support others, with fundraising being the perfect way to do it.

Across their four years of fundraising for us, the team has taken part in numerous events to top up their total. Swapping pitches for Penguin Trails, the boys have really given their fundraising some welly, donning their kits to take part in bucket collections across Birmingham.

The lads have also challenged themselves physically by taking on the iconic Run Alton Towers challenge for multiple years, racing 5k around the UK’s biggest theme parks.

The football fanatics even braved a 104-ft charity abseil off the Mailbox Birmingham for the cause last year, inspiring friends and family to support them.

The enthusiasm for fundraising has also been supported by the boys’ school, with their Academy Trust, Central Region Schools Trust, being celebrated as one of our charity’s top fundraisers last year.

Emma Bryan, mother of one of the players, said: “Getting the boys involved in community fundraising has made a huge difference to them, boosting their team morale and confidence, and making them feel good about themselves by helping others.

“Getting them involved in charity via the Club is a great way of introducing kids to fundraising. My son was shaking after the charity abseil, but you could see how proud he was of doing it and raising so much for sick kids.

“The boys are all very competitive, but they all support each other to meet their fundraising goals, and you can see how much they enjoy it. It’s more than just about the football to them – they can give back to society too.”

Annie Eytle, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “These young players are so inspiring! To have raised £6,000 is incredible. Plus, the team’s willingness to push themselves further for others will help us continue to provide world-class care at our hospital, supporting us to provide the best possible spaces, treatment and equipment for our brave patients.”