New charity initiative will donate £1.5 million pounds to help disadvantaged young people reach their goals
BT Sport ambassadors Lawrence Dallaglio and Jake Humphrey have launched The Supporters Club, a new charity initiative by BT that will use the power of sport to help disadvantaged young people, both here in the UK and around the world.
BT will be donating an initial £500,000 into various sporting initiatives and will match customers’ donations pound for pound on top of this, up to £1 million. BT Sport customers will be given the opportunity to make a monthly pledge of £1, £3 or £5 to The Supporters Club via their BT bill and the money will be spent by Comic Relief on providing coaches, mentors and teachers for disadvantaged young people in the UK and abroad.
What It’s All About
The Supporters Club is all about supporting the supporters. All of the money pledged for will be spent to change the lives of young people here in the UK and some of the world’s poorest countries. It will fund the resources that young people so desperately need to help them achieve their goals in life. BT is also covering the running costs of the fund as well as creating TV programming which will be broadcast on BT Sport to show customers how their donations are being spent.
Lawrence Dallaglio, BT Sport ambassador, said “I am delighted that BT is using the platform of BT Sport to invest into projects that use sport to engage and improve the lives of young people from different backgrounds. Initiatives like The Supporters Club are vital to charity, as not only do they generate critical funding, but also help to highlight the importance of their work to the wider public.”
John Petter, managing director BT Retail Consumer, said: “Sport can be a powerful force for good in society and we think that the launch of BT Sport gives us an opportunity to raise extra funds which will make a huge difference to the lives of disadvantaged young people and help them to reach their goals. We are thrilled that a charity with the credibility and track record of Comic Relief will be managing the fund.”
How You Can Help
BT Sport customers will be able to set up their donation to The Supporters Club from June 22, either by calling BT or signing up online (www.thesupportersclub.org). The donation will then be added to their regular BT bill.
BT Sport will launch in the summer, offering live football matches from the Barclays Premier League and live rugby union games from the Aviva Premiership. The channel will also show Moto GP, WTA women’s tennis and action from the UFC.
