Club foundation donate £1m to fund pitches in London, Jordan and Somalia

The Arsenal Foundation will donate £1million to fund football pitches in London, Jordan and Somalia through the proceeds of Saturday’s exhibition match against Milan Glorie.

An Arsenal Legends side including Robert Pires, David Seaman and Kanu will take on the likes of Paolo Maldini, Zvonomir Boban and Christian Vieri at the Emirates in a match that is expected to be a 60,000 sell-out.

And the club, working alongside Save the Children, will use all net proceeds from the match to fund football pitches in the local area, as well as for young children living in refugee camps in Jordan and Somalia.

The money raised from the match will fund five football pitches in Jordan and two in Somalia. Arsenal in the Community, who work with local children in Islington and surrounding boroughs, will also receive additional funding.

Arsenal Ladies’ captain Alex Scott visited two pitches funded by the foundation in Iraq earlier this year. The club hope the pitches will act as catalysts for community life and provide youngsters with safe areas to play.

Ivan Gazidis, the club’s chief executive, said:  “It’s important that football and clubs like Arsenal use the global passion for the game to make a difference.

“This game gives us all a chance to create something very special here on the doorstep of Emirates Stadium and in places where children are fleeing war and drought.

“Using the Arsenal name and football as a motivating force, the club – together with its supporters, returning legends and visitors from Milan – are helping to fund pitches in places where children are living in challenging circumstances.

“These children are often football fans. The game is part of the joy of their childhood. In some places, so much of that joy has been stripped away by what they’re going through, but football pitches provide them with a place they can play, where they can be children again and do something they love.

standard.co.uk