Whether you’re a local football, rugby, hockey, swimming, or tennis club, these fundraising ideas will help support your sports team. If you’re also thinking about fundraising for a charity close to your heart, these fundraising ideas, specifically aimed at sports teams will likely give you some ideas.
Charity Football Match or Tournament During Major Sporting Event
A charity football match may seem like an obvious choice, but this is one of the most effective ways to fundraise for your sports team or a charity of your choice. To attract more interest, why not host the event alongside major sporting events such as the World Cup, Euros, Olympics or the end of the football season.
You could make the tournament even more memorable by inviting a local celebrity to the fundraising match, having all players wear fancy dress, or encourage other local football teams to take part in a 5-a-side tournament for the afternoon.
British Army Veteran Jonathan Farrelly, established the Combined Veterans Football Club (CVFC) with the aim of raising funds for Blesma and other military charities after seeing smaller veterans’ charities struggle.
People I didn’t know began offering to help – a few celebrities have even offered their support - we’ve achieved a lot so far so hopefully we can raise a good amount for Blesma. I’ve seen the fantastic work the charity does as it has supported my friend Scott Yarrington, who lost both his legs in Afghanistan, so it will be good to give back.
Jonathan Farrelly
Jonathan also has big hopes for the team’s future including an attempt to break the world record for the longest football match, and fixtures against a German or American veterans’ team.
ESports
If you’re part of a sports team that enjoys video or PC gaming, hosting a charity gaming match or stream is a great way to raise money. This form of fundraising is also a fantastic way to get all ages interested and involved.
Games which are great for multiplayer gaming tournaments include Call of Duty, FC25, Apex Legends, Fortnite, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, League of Legends and Overwatch.
At Blesma, some of our very own Members have raised money for Blesma by running a live gaming stream on platforms such as Twitch.
Callum Walker, aka DustMonkeyGames managed to raise an incredible £1000 by live streaming video games for 24hours!
I have always had a very close relationship with our Veteran community and from that it was suggested I look into Blesma as I wanted to use my circumstances to raise money for a fantastic charity. Blesma is exactly that and helps our men and women who have suffered life changing injuries in the service of the country. It wasn’t my first-time raising money for Blesma, and it won’t be my last either.
Callum Walker
Find out how to set up a charity stream
BBQ Fundraiser
Hosting a BBQ fundraiser during the summer is not only a great way to socialise with team members and their family members, but it also provides the perfect opportunity to raise funds.
You could make the BBQ fundraiser more appealing by serving a variety of foods instead of the usual burgers and hot dogs. Why not explore different cuisines such as an authentic Texas BBQ including ribs, a Greek-style barbecue, or an Australian barbie including fish on the menu? Offering diverse options is also likely to spark excitement and conversation in the lead-up to the event.
Veteran and amputee Steven Beasley, organised a BBQ and fun day at The Nags Head in Derbyshire, which raised £595 for Blesma.
I wanted to give back to Blesma after the organisation helped me following my life-changing incident. This was a way of getting others involved and having a good time while raising money for a great cause. I know this money will go towards helping out veterans like me rebuild their lives after injury.
Steven Beasley
Fantasy Teams
Fantasy football is widely recognised due to the Premier League. Fantasy football is a game where players pick an imaginary team of real-life football players from different Premier League teams, such as Manchester City, Crystal Palace, Chelsea F.C., and West Ham United.
Points are accrued after each player’s real-life game, based on their performance in the match.
You could create your own fantasy football league within your local football club or challenge team members to predict the overall Premier League winner, with a prize awarded at the end of the season.
The fantasy football game format can also be replicated for other sports and leagues, such as rugby, American football (NFL) and basketball (NBA). Alternatively, you could have your team predict individual athletes likely to finish as champions in events like Formula One (motor racing), the PGA Tour (golf), or the ATP and WTA Tours in tennis.
Goal Challenge
Why not set your team a goal challenge, and invite their family and friends to come and watch? Rather than just having a traditional penalty shootout, make the goal challenge unique and more difficult by hanging targets on the goal or awarding extra points for hitting the woodwork.
A goal challenge doesn’t just have to be limited to the football pitch. It can also be recreated for other sports too, such as rugby, hockey and even tennis, by setting targets on the court or on the pitch.
Skydive or Wingwalk
Not for the faint of heart, skydiving or wing walking are two unique ways to fundraise for a charity of your choice, or directly for your sports team.
Before organising a skydive or wing walk it’s best to find a location which is relatively close to your sports club – ideally within a 50-mile radius – to help reduce transport costs. You can gain traction for sign ups by putting up posters in your sports club, sending out an email newsletter, and sharing on your sports clubs’ social media pages.
The more participants you get to sign up to a skydive or wing walk, the greater your fundraising potential. Once team members have signed up, ensure their fundraiser links – whether on JustGiving or directly linked to the charity – are widely shared.
Many charities, including us at Blesma, provide specific information and direct contacts to help you in your skydiving or wing walking fundraising efforts.
Quiz night
Hosting a quiz night is one of the most popular ways to fundraise for a sports team.
If your sports club has its own premises, this should be relatively easy to set up. Potentially charge £15 per entry and include a drink or snacks, or you could even combine the quiz with a curry night.
To attract more people, you could host a themed quiz night, covering topics that are close to the interest of your sports club or team members. For example, questions about the FIFA World Cup, The Olympics, specific sports stars or a quiz about your own club.
Be sure to start promoting the quiz night well in advance to maximise ticket sales. Ideally, begin advertising around three months before the event.
Stand-up comedy night
Hosting a stand-up comedy night for your sports club will likely require more time and effort to organise, but it also has the potential to raise significant funds through ticket sales.
Before setting a date, make sure you have an appropriate venue, whether it’s at your sports club or a rented space, such as a village hall.
Next, identify who will take the mic for the evening – not just as comedians, but also as a host or MC. Consider reaching out to local comedy clubs or finding stand-up comedians in your area who might be willing to participate and help fundraise for charity.
How to pick a charity to fundraise for
At Blesma, we’re sports fanatics ourselves. Not only do our Members, who are injured veterans, take part in various sports – from golf to adaptive snowsports – we also partnered with small and large sports teams including West Ham United F.C. who offer incredible opportunities for our Members who have suffered life-changing injuries.
Want to fundraise for Blesma?
About Blesma
We are dedicated to assisting serving and ex-Service men and women who have suffered life-changing limb loss or the use of a limb, an eye or sight. We support these men and women in their communities throughout the UK.
Find out more