Sporting fun for a worthy cause!
Fund-raising charity tournament “Football With A Heart” (FWAH) kicks off today with support from 40 caring organisations, a heartening growth from the 28 corporate teams that took part last year. Organised by Singapore Pools (Private) Limited (“Pools”), together with Pools’ i-SHINE Staff Volunteerism Programme, Football Association of Singapore (“FAS”) and the Singapore Sports Council (“SSC”), this project reinforces the strong commitment of Singapore’s major companies to use sports as a force for social good.
Record number of 40 participating organisations
Inaugurated in 2012, “Football With A Heart” is Singapore’s first executive football charity fund-raiser set up as a partnership between private and public sectors to raise much-needed funds for the disadvantaged. With the record-high participation this year from 40 organisations across diverse industries such as IT, F&B, Hospitality and Finance, the 5-a-side FWAH Tournament to be held on 24 August 2013 will bring 700 football players together to battle it out at Jalan Besar Stadium – the home of Singapore football.
Nine Beneficiaries to Gain from $400,000 Fundraising Target
Last year’s target of $250,000 was well-exceeded with a total donation amount of $350,000 raised. This year, with 16 first-time corporate donors on board, FWAH 2013 organisers are confident the project will exceed its fundraising target again. A total of 9 beneficiaries will benefit from the target donation amount of $400,000. They are: AIN Society, Apex Harmony, CARE United, Caring Fleet Services, President's Challenge, Society for the Aged Sick, Society for the Physically Disabled, Singapore Children's Society and SportCares Foundation.
Going Beyond Giving to Capability Building
As a novel approach to allocating funds for these beneficiaries, FWAH2013 co-organisers will be conducting a Fix & Pitch event on Thursday, 25 July 2013. Apart from a fixture draw of the tournament matches, beneficiaries will pitch their respective programmes and causes before the audience of corporate donors. Respective donor will then decide which beneficiaries and the amount it will support for each, out of the sum they have contributed to this year’s fundraising target. Having the beneficiaries present their cause to the donors to earn their share of the donation dollars helps to hone their pitching skills and raise their standard of communication to potential sponsors. For the donors, it also means their help towards the beneficiaries goes farther beyond giving.
Public and Private Sectors United in Play at Mini Tournament
Compared to two Celebrity Teams last year, four Celebrity Teams this time comprising Members of Parliament, senior management staff from government agencies, members of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) and the expatriate community will spar with one another in a mini-tournament. Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Mr Teo Ser Luck will once again don his football jersey as Captain of the Parliament team for the FWAH Tournament on 24 August 2013.
As the corporate teams pit their skills against each other on the pitch, a Fun Carnival, Lucky Draws and Games will be organised for the enjoyment of employees, family members and friends who are there to lend support to the players.
The series of events under FWAH 2013 will culminate in a Celebratory Dinner to be graced by His Excellency President Tony Tan, on Wednesday, 28 August 2013 at the Singapore Food Trail located at the Singapore Flyer. Beneficiaries will receive donation cheques while a commemorative FWAH2103 Plate sponsored by Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore and Bowl sponsored by StarHub will be presented to the first- and second-place football teams respectively.
Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Mr Teo Ser Luck said, “Football With A Heart sets the common ground for sports and philanthropy to come together, and provides a wonderful platform for Corporate Singapore to extend their reach to the less fortunate in society. Sports embodies and reinforces the values that we stand for as a nation - Courage, Resilience, Teamwork and a Spirit of Excellence. It also ignites in us the passion to help people achieve their full potential and lead better lives. Now, with Football With A Heart established as a trail blazer for Vision 2030’s Sportscare, I urge more businesses come on board and leverage on the unifying power of sports to integrate our community and touch people’s lives.”