Utilita Giving Takeover
Utilita Giving has recently been introduced to the footballing world following an exceptional ‘takeover’ weekend.
We were given an enormous amount of exposure between 1st and 2nd April, with a number of different football clubs – and the incredible Wembley Stadium – promoting our cause.
Our logo and messaging were featured across LED boards, big screens and programmes across the country at Rangers, Southampton, Huddersfield, Portsmouth and many more clubs.
At Wembley, we took centre stage for the Papa John’s Trophy Final and the Utilita Girls Cup Final.
In Luton, it wasn’t the beautifully worked first goal, the two-nil win, nor the luminous orange pyros that stood out most when they beat Watford. Instead, it was the presence of Utilita Giving.
The fixture on Saturday 1 April was kindly dedicated to us by Luton – and the club did everything in their power to raise as much awareness as possible. Not only was our logo flashed around the ground across the LED screens, but the Hatters also proudly wore our logo on the front of their home shirt, as well as their warm-up tops.
Armed with collection buckets, our volunteer team were joined by our Patron and former England goalkeeper, David James, outside of the Kenilworth Road stadium. More than £1,200 in cash was raised, and hundreds of pounds more donated through card payments.
Once escaping the many fans who were eager to get a selfie with him, David later appeared on Sky Sports News wearing his UG-branded hoodie. He was given time to talk about the charity in-depth, and, in true David James style, nailed the interview. David said: “I’ve been looking forward to promoting the charity for as long as I’ve known about its conception – but can you imagine my excitement, as a Luton fan, when I heard our first major event was at Kenilworth Road?
“The day went incredibly well. The fans were generous beyond belief when we were out the front collecting cash, and the club did everything in their power to raise awareness for Utilita Giving.
“A big thank you to everyone at Luton and the Utilita Giving team – we have a very special charity with a bright future on our hands.”
At half time, David took on a randomly selected Luton fan in a game of Football Bowls. Based on their combined score, more than £600 was raised. Not only that, the one-off Utilita Giving shirts were auctioned online, raising almost another £8,000.
“So many people, so many hours and so much effort went into forming Utilita Giving, and I’m delighted that we can now shout from the rooftops about the charity,” said Keira Meadus, Utilita Giving Management Committee. “The takeover at Luton was just incredible. The fans were fully behind our cause and the club truly put on a day to remember, and those one-off shirts looked better than I could have imagined. Roll on the next Utilita Giving Takeover!”
Half of the proceeds from the Takeover will be donated to Luton Foodbank, with the remaining 50% supporting people in fuel and food poverty in England, Scotland and Wales.
Watch this space for the final total – Coming soon!