How to help the Foundation's winter coat appeal
Manchester United Foundation is asking fans to join them in ensuring local young people can access warm clothing this winter, by donating clean adult and children’s coats at Old Trafford when the Reds take on Brentford on Saturday 7 October.
The Foundation will invest £100,000 in purchasing hats, gloves and scarves, which will be imminently distributed to our participants ahead of the winter period, and is requesting fans to supplement this effort by donating coats at Old Trafford.
Coats that are donated by fans on the day of the Brentford fixture will be redistributed by the Foundation to young people accessing our community and education programmes, and by local poverty charities in Greater Manchester.
The Foundation has also identified a charity in Ukraine as an additional beneficiary of the coats received from the appeal.
All donated coats will leave Old Trafford within days of the Brentford game, to ensure the generosity of fans can be felt by young people in need as soon as possible.
The Foundation positively impacted the lives of more than 25,000 young people in the 2022/23 season, operating in the areas of highest social deprivation across Greater Manchester – where almost 250,000 children* are living in poverty.
John Shiels said: “This winter, we are calling on Manchester United fans to help us make a difference to local children and their families through our winter coat appeal.
“Many of the young people the Foundation works with are from the most socially deprived areas of Greater Manchester, and as ever, we understand our duty to support them through what promises to be another seriously challenging winter.
“Having consulted with youth voice members on our programmes, we understand that staying warm during winter is a key concern among our young people. Therefore, the Foundation will invest £100,000 in providing young people with warm winter clothing for the months ahead, but with the support of our club’s incredible fans, we know that we can do more together.
“Any donation of clean child or adult sized coats will make the world of difference to families who need it most during the cold winter months.”
Last season’s work included a winter support campaign, in which the Foundation gave out almost 10,000 items of warm winter clothing and slow cookers to young people and their families, helping them through the effects of the rising cost-of-living crisis and fuel poverty.
The winter coat appeal is running for one game only, with fans invited to donate a coat both before and after the game.
Coats can be donated from three hours before kick-off at signposted donation bins next to the five bag drop locations on site at Old Trafford. Donations will also be accepted one hour after full-time. All bag drop locations can be found here.
Visit mufoundation.org to learn more about the Foundation’s work across Greater Manchester.