Incredible Mag

Pitching In: Football and Charity

Pitching In: Football and Charity

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Sport has few equals in dividing public opinion&period; In the UK&comma; as with vast areas of Europe&comma; Africa and the Americas this division <span id&equals;"074cafd9-8a92-4038-a684-fbe1b4435ff2" class&equals;"GINGER&lowbar;SOFTWARE&lowbar;mark">is generally centred<&sol;span> around football and its various associated topics and concepts&period; Hated&comma; adored but rarely ignored&comma; football stands alone in its ability to stir emotion&comma; begin debate and showcase the very best and worst of human interaction in this country&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">From hooliganism to egregiously inflated salaries&comma; the sport of football has its fair share of shameful incidents and problematic issues&period; But the work for good causes taking place across the country&comma; such as the work of charitable foundations and one-off fundraising matches&comma; is rightfully thought of as a most redeeming and laudable aspect of the game&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Soccer Aid&comma; a biennial event in which celebrities and former footballers take part in a charity international at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium&comma; is the most prominent example of a charity football game in this country&comma; owing to its coverage in the media and celebrity status of its participants&period; Soccer Aid <span id&equals;"04628c15-ab49-4337-ac36-c5a14fe480a3" class&equals;"GINGER&lowbar;SOFTWARE&lowbar;mark">was founded<&sol;span> in 2006 by the pop star Robbie Williams and the singer and TV presenter Jonathan Wilkes and&comma; with a fifth series due in June this year&comma; has so far raised over £12 million for the children’s charity UNICEF&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; center&semi;"><img class&equals;"size-full wp-image-1704 aligncenter" title&equals;"Pitching In&colon; Football and Charity" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;incrediblemag&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2014&sol;03&sol;football&period;jpeg" alt&equals;"Pitching In&colon; Football and Charity" width&equals;"472" height&equals;"270" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">If Soccer Aid can be looked upon as a more international charitable cause&comma; the UK-based foundation Once Upon a Smile’s football-related effort is a more local affair&period; Generally&comma; the charity works in conjunction with hospitals&comma; hospices and schools to provide finical help for struggling families and respite breaks for parents and guardians who have suffered a bereavement&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Once Upon a Smile’s foray into charity football comes in the form of OUAS FC&comma; their charity football team made up of various former pros and television personalities&period; The team plays various matches around the country to help raise money for Once Upon a Smile and other charities and have so far raised over £300&comma;000&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">The links between charity work and football have been established for some time and have strengthened as the influence of football over the nation&comma; broadly due to the increased wealth and celebrity within the game&comma; has grown&period; Charity fundraisers&comma; one-off matches and benevolent visits by players are common throughout English league football and many players have taken active roles in the work of charities by becoming ambassadors&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">In a somewhat paradoxical fashion&comma; football continues to be both a source of good and an object of scorn&period; The game is entertaining millions of people across the world and yet can also be regarded as having left the common fan behind in favor of the rich and powerful&period; It is both the beautiful game and a bloated billion-dollar business&period; However&comma; there are few other games that captivate the imaginations of so many people across the world and have had such vast amounts of good benevolent work done in their name&period; Though football is not without its negative aspects&comma; it is clear that the game can improve situations and change lives for the better&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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