Football fans overwhelmingly believe clubs should invest in their communities, but most
don’t know what their club foundation actually does or how it’s funded. New research from
Walk92 (undertaken by research partner, Obsurvant), reveals that while nearly 8 in 10 fans
think clubs should back charitable foundations, only 1 in 4 can name a project. 3 in 5 fans
say they want to volunteer or donate but few actually have.
Key findings:
– 50% of fans don’t associate football clubs with a charitable foundation
– Only 25% say they can name a project their club’s foundation runs – most of these
mentions were unrelated national campaigns (e.g., Soccer Aid, Kick It Out)
– 61% would like to volunteer or donate to a club foundation in future; only 32% have
ever done so
– 79% agree clubs should fund foundations to help communities
“Fans get the power of football to change lives. They just haven’t been shown where to plug
in,” said Xavier Wiggins, Co‑Founder, Walk92.
“Walk92 is joining these dots up. We’re inviting every fan, club and foundation to walk that connection raising money, awareness and volunteer time for the amazing community work happening quietly all over the country.”
Theo Dominian, Senior Research Manager at Obsurvant, commented, “Whilst football fans are clear on the importance of community sports programmes, our research shows a real lack of awareness of the work football foundations do. Our data highlights the importance of Walk92’s mission to support these foundations and the
amazing work they do in local communities. We are proud to partner with Walk92 and
support them with this research.”
Walk92 launching 2 August 2025 is a never before attempted, 92-day, 2000 plus miles,
walking challenge between all 92 professional league clubs in England and Wales, undertaken by Xavier Wiggins, to celebrate football for good. Fundraising from Walk92 goes directly to the Football For Good beneficiaries including The Street Soccer Foundation, Sport Local Action and club foundations.