Two decades of giving: Football shirt appeal celebrates record-breaking year
A football shirt charity based in North Shropshire is celebrating yet another record-breaking year as it approaches its 20-year anniversary.
The Taking Football to Africa and Beyond Appeal operates from Royal Air Force Shawbury and collects donations of football shirts and sports kit for re-distribution to less privileged adults and children all across the globe.
In 2025 the appeal distributed approximately 12000 football shirts and nearly 28000 other pieces of kit (approximately 40000 total items) to countries worldwide including Kenya, Nepal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ukraine, Rwanda, Uganda and Ghana amongst a total of 20 countries reached.
The appeal began in 2006 and continues to grow, delivering kit to 71 different countries to date, with full totals now at 443381 items, including 125598 shirts. Clubs, schools and individuals from across the United Kingdom have assisted in ensuring the success by continuously donating large amounts of kit.
Major donations in 2025 included Aston Villa, The FA (England), Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Arsenal, Worcestershire FA, Wallsend Boys club, Kidderminster Harriers and many others.
The appeal, run by Sqn Ldr Mark Smales and Wg Cdr (Retd) Neil Hope MBE relies on the goodwill and help of many people in the UK and across the world, especially in Kenya (BATUK and Braeburn Garden Estate School) and Nepal (The Gurkha Welfare Trust).
In January 2024, the appeal assisted in the creation of Lottie’s Way – The Charlotte Hope Foundation. The Foundation, in memory of Neil’s 19-year-old daughter aims to raise funds in Lottie’s name that will be allocated to organisations assisting in ensuring education and feeding of less privileged children worldwide. Whilst the shirts appeal operates alongside Lottie’s Way it continues to operate in a purely non-financed model.
Neil said, "I am extremely proud to see the success of the appeal over so many years. Our links to Lottie’s Way allow us to celebrate Charlotte’s short life, which was cruelly taken form us by a drug driver, due her links to the appeal, something she tirelessly assisted with, and to her efforts in volunteering in Kenya.
"Hopefully the continued efforts of both the Appeal and the Charity will help so many others. We enjoyed a hugely successful Nepal delivery trip in 2025 and will shortly embark on a Kenya delivery trip with a group of 16 people."
For more information see:
Taking Football to Africa and Beyond Appeal - TFTAAB
The Charlotte Hope Foundation - Lottie's Way
