"Id like to wish Helen the best of luck going forward and urge anyone with spare boots lying around to get them donated to this fantastic cause!"
Matthew Stewart
Sarah’s Goal, a not-for-profit charitable organisation based in Barnsley that facilitates the involvement of some of the region’s most vulnerable children in competitive football and coaching sessions, has received £1,000 from UK Steel Enterprise (UKSE) to support the longevity and development of the work it carries out across South and West Yorkshire.
For financial reasons, it’s an unfortunate fact that many children in the UK are unable to partake in sports or extra-curricular clubs outside of what is included in their school curriculum. Sarah’s Goal aims to combat this issue by providing funding to families who may have been affected by illness, bereavement and redundancy in order to enable their children to get involved with football, whether this be playing competitively at a local club or socially with friends and family.
Launched in March 2018 in memory of Sarah Hanson Powell, a football fanatic who sadly lost her battle with cancer in 2011, Sarah’s Goal boasts a number of funding options whereby recipients can receive support with coaching fees, essential kit or club membership costs. In addition, and in a bid to ensure that football is accessible to all, the charity’s football boot exchange programme encourages those in and around South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to donate any spare football boots that they may no longer need, the boots are then distributed to children and teenagers across the county.
Founder of the charity, Helen Knight commented: “Amazingly, within only the first few months of launching, over 60 children have benefited from the boot exchange and we hope to see this number continue to increase! The funding from UKSE has been a fantastic help as it has enabled us to provide a further ten children with grants, on top of the eight we’re already supporting.
“Personally, I believe that all children should have access to team-based sport as it’s a great way of socialising and building self-esteem whilst also contributing to a healthy and active lifestyle. Sarah was so passionate about football and so to have launched this charity in her name means so much to me, it’s exactly the kind of legacy she’d have wanted to leave behind!
“Since establishing earlier in the year, we have now partnered with local football clubs, businesses and meeting points which now act as ‘drop off zones’ for the boot exchange programme. You just can’t beat the feeling you get when you see a youngster try on their first ever pair of boots and I’m so excited for the future of the charity as we strive to help more and more youngsters!”
Matthew Stewart, Investment Manager at UK Steel Enterprise added: “Providing invaluable support to children and families across the region, Sarah’s Goal is a prime example of a selfless community project and we are delighted to have contributed to its sustainability and growth.
“I’d like to wish Helen the best of luck going forward and urge anyone with spare boots lying around to get them donated to this fantastic cause!”
UK Steel Enterprise provides equity and loan finance up to £1M to growing companies as well as smaller Kickstart grants to small businesses in areas of the UK most affected by changes in the steel industry. Established businesses in need of growth finance can contact the UK Steel Enterprise team on 0800 915 1188.
