Football legends Gary Neville and Steven Gerrard have donated £10,000 to the England Women’s Deaf Football Team to help pay for their upcoming tournament.
The World Deaf Football Championships, first started back in 2008, are taking place in Malaysia this September and the England Women’s team needs £100,000 to take part in the competition.
However, sadly the team no longer receives money from the FA after they shifted funding to the futsal team — who, prior to winning the Euros in 2022, were also financially restricted in 2019 — and so must fundraise in other ways if they want to enter the tournament which runs every four years.
With that in mind, Gary Neville and Steven Gerrard generously donated £5,000 each to help send them to the championships in just a few months’ time. Classy stuff, lads.
52 days left to find £37.6k or the England Deaf Women’s Football team can’t go to the World Cup 2023 in Malaysia
Neville and Gerrard have put a total of £10,000 towards sending the Women’s deaf team to the WDFC 2023, just the fourth time the competition has been held.
Speaking to BBC Radio London, current player Claire Stancliffe expressed her gratitude to the England legends, saying that “it’s really nice to have their support” and insisting that she only got in touch with the former Manchester United fullback to ask him to share their appeal on his socials.
Nevertheless, after the Deaflympian and four-time bronze medallist once again made the 48-year-old aware of their financial obstacles, he wasted no time in offering to put £5k towards the fund, with the Liverpool legend quickly matching the donation.
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They are the only footballing figures to offer their support either, as the likes of Everton defender Conor Coady, Crystal Palace women’s player Leigh Nicol and many more have encouraged others to help spread the word and hopefully do their bit.
Whilst I’m really disappointed to hear the news that @GB_DeafFootball women’s team are having to raise money to attend the ultimate dream of a World Cup… it’s really important we all play our small part in making this possible 🙏 https://t.co/viRzzypiH9
Informing the team about the withdrawal of funding last month, the FA justified its position by stating that they wanted to provide more regular international opportunities for players and that numerous conversations with players, staff and other figures in the deaf football community were taken into consideration.
Stancliffe, 34, said, “I’m really disappointed in the decision but at the same time I respect it, I’m just trying to focus on what we need to do now to get the team there.”
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The World Championships start on 20 September and end on 8 October, but even with multiple fundraisers now running, they are still a little ways off the target with just 46 days now left to go.
You can donate to the England Women’s Deaf Football Team fundraiser via GoFundMe or contribute to the Deaf Sports and Football Foundation (DSFF) directly HERE.
Featured Image — Sky Sports/Simon Harris (via Twitter)/BT Sport
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Manchester United to wear special one-off shirt for important awareness campaign
Danny Jones
Just to pre-empt any Manchester United fans fearing they’re still in total delirium the next time they see that iconic red shirt, we can confirm it isn’t just your rose-tinted glasses deceiving you – the club will be wearing a special one-off shirt with a notable difference very soon.
All eyes may now be on Wednesday, 21 May but this limited edition kit has already caught the eye of many supporters for one very obvious reason.
In case you haven’t seen it for yourselves already, Man United have confirmed that both the men’s and women’s squads will be will be wearing a slight variation on their home shirt for their next two matches as part of a special campaign for an important charitable cause.
Joining forces with their usual primary shirt sponsors Snapdragon and global health campaigners Product RED, this one-off alternative strip will be unveiled on the pitch this week.
Product Red, or simply (RED) as it will read on the jersey itself, is a worldwide charity that’s been working to fight global health crises since 2006.
(RED)’s key aim is to end the AIDS epidemic and related injustices by raising money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
The organisation officially partnered with the club and Snapdragon back in January in an effort to help drive awareness and generate further backing for their work – it just so happens that teaming up with one the planet’s biggest brands and one synomyous with that colour made for the perfect collaboration.
With that in mind, putting together a one-off Man United kit with (RED) slap bang in the middle as is close to a commercial/charitable tap-in as you’re probably ever going to get.
Set to be debuted by Manchester United Women in their WSL fixutre against Arsenal this Saturday, 10 May and then again by Ruben Amorim’s side in the Premier League the following day (Sun, 11 May); plus, a select few limited edition replicas shirts will be made available for fans to purchase.
Be first in the know, Reds 👀
Get notified when our limited-edition @RED collection drops ⤵️#MUFC || @Snapdragon
It goes without saying that given the nature of the front-of-shirt sponsor swap, these will no doubt become somewhat of a special item among kit collectors from the off.
More importantly, however, the funds raised through selling these one-off Man United shirts will provide much-needed income for the non-profit and their crucial efforts.
The unveiling of the comes not long after the bedlam that ensued inside Old Trafford during the second leg against Athletic Club, in which United booked their return trip back to Bilbao for the Europa League final, leaving plenty of fans of seeing nothing but the colour red ever since.
MUWFC also sealed their spot in the Women’s Champions League next season to with an important point in the Manchester Derby this past weekend, confirming a finish above Man City this year.
Safe to say it’s been a good few days to be a (RED).
AO Arena to host huge Europa League Final fan zone after Manchester United victory
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s legendary AO Arena will once again host an almighty football fan zone later this year, welcoming in fans for the Europa League Final.
The huge venue previously hosted a Road to Victory fan zone for the Euros, and is now ready to replicate all the atmosphere and excitement of the beautiful game once again.
This time it’s in honour of Manchester United, who romped their way into the Europa League Final this evening with a spectacular 4-1 victory (7-1 on aggregate) over Athletic Club.
The Red Devils will be heading to that same team’s home stadium of San Mamés in Bilbao in Spain on 21 May 2025, and you’ll be able to watch all the action right here at home in Manchester.
The AO Arena Europa League Final Screening & Fan Zone will be presented by Red Square.
If you think that name rings a bell, you’re right: they’re the same folks behind the regular events held over at Victoria Warehouse for any big United games, and 21 May will be no different – other than being arguably their biggest date ever.
There’ll be space for thousands upon thousands of football fans who’ll be able to watch Ruben Amorim’s side potentially take home their first piece of silverware since his arrival.
If you saw the scenes at Road to Victory in the AO during Euro 2024, you’ll know how unbelievable a venue this is to watch the footy.
As the promoters have billed it: “Get ready to immerse yourself in the electrifying atmosphere of the Europa League Final, presented by Red Square.
“Join us for an unforgettable event as we bring together passionate Manchester United fans for the largest indoor fan park extravaganza ever witnessed!
“MANCHESTER UNITED head to the UEL final on Wednesday, 21st May – Secure your tickets now!”
The Europa League Final Screening & Fan Zone will be at the AO Arena on 21 May.
Danny Jones -
11th May 2023 
