Fans turn soccer enthusiasm into charitable action | Canada Voices

On the days that Liverpool FC are playing a match, you’ll find a steady stream of soccer fans ducking into a bar on Jasper Avenue in downtown Edmonton, often as early as 7:30 a.m.

Members of the Official Liverpool Supporters Club gather to watch their beloved team on TV and enjoy good conversation. Beyond getting together to cheer, the fans have also raised thousands of dollars for charitable causes in both Edmonton and Liverpool.

“We’ve got a common love, which is the Liverpool football team, and the other common love is the charity work we do,” says Joanne Healey, chair of the club.

Many sports fan are funneling their passion, on game days and through social media, to raise awareness and funds for causes.

Raffles for Liverpool FC gear and merchandise, often signed by players, have helped the club raise $64,000 since 2018. They’ve donated the funds to local charities like the Boyle Street Community Services, an Edmonton food bank and the Canadian Red Cross, as well as to charities in Liverpool.

“We just say that’s the Liverpool way,” says Healey. “We try and help as much as we can, in any way we can. Anybody can go to a pub and watch a soccer game, but to make something meaningful out of it and to give back to our communities, that’s really special to a lot of people.”

The philanthropic spirit is built into many fan communities, says Julie Smulders, founder of She’s Got Next, a non-profit professional women’s network. One of the organization’s priorities is securing funding for Canadian women’s sports programs.

“You’re in it together,” she says of fans. “We can come together to give back as a community and feel good about it and rally around it.”

For many fan groups, such efforts are especially notable given the challenges of sustaining philanthropic endeavours. It can be demanding to manage the logistics of events, adhere to charity laws and ensure funds are handled transparently. Moreover, groups must look for ways to continually engage and inspire fan communities to participate, which can be tougher as the initial thrill of match days diminishes.

For Rain City Brigade, a supporters group for Major League Soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC, giving back wasn’t part of a formal strategic plan. That emerged organically, says member Rob Danyluk.

The group has its own patch that members affix to their vests and jackets, and regularly swap out the centre of the patch to mark holidays or celebrations. They decided to make a patch with a pride flag in the shape of a heart, and sold about 40 for $10 each. The proceeds went to QMUNITY, a non-profit that works to improve the lives of queer, trans and two-spirit individuals.

After that, the Rain City Brigade knew they wanted to do more. They teamed up with the non-profit RainCity Housing and Support Society to raise funds and collect items for The Vivian, an accessible housing program supporting women living in the Downtown Eastside.

After spreading the word about the cause on social media, the group raised enough money to purchase 24 bedsheet sets. They also donated more than a dozen bags of clothes and toiletries.

“It felt really good to be able to say we’re not just a football group, we do a lot more,” says Danyluk.