Barcelona and England Star Toni Duggan Kicks Off the Soccer Aid Playground Challenge For Unicef
Schools Asked To Come Together On Friday June 8th for the First Ever Soccer Aid Playground Challenge
An edited video and imagery from the visit are available here
Broll available on request
21 May 2018 – Barcelona Femeni star and England Women’s International Toni Duggan visited an international school in Catalunya to launch the Soccer Aid Playground Challenge for Unicef – a fun and active obstacle course designed to help raise vital funds to help Unicef protect children in danger around the world.
Toni met students and staff at the International School of Catalunya, a Unicef UK Rights Respecting School that offers the National Curriculum of England and Wales. The students explained how they designed their own Playground Challenge and invited Toni to get involved. Toni, representing England, coached a team of students as they raced through the Playground Challenge course against a team representing the Soccer Aid World XI, captained by Year 11 student, Maya. Once activities were over, Toni signed autographs for all the students who took part.
Toni Duggan said: “Meeting the students and seeing how children of all ages came together for the Soccer Aid Playground Challenge was so much fun – it’s the perfect way to raise money to help Unicef protect children in danger. I want to encourage kids all across the UK to get together with their classmates to design their Playground Challenge obstacle course and then do everything they can to raise as much as possible on June 8th.”
“I also want to say thank you to the UK government for matching every pound schools donate – that means that for every £1 you can raise, the government will also give £1, doubling the difference for children all around the world.”
Unicef UK Executive Director, Mike Penrose said: “It’s fantastic that schools across the country will come together to do their bit for children in danger, and have fun taking part in the Soccer Aid Playground Challenge. With the UK government matching every pound, the money you and your classmates raise will go twice as far in helping Unicef protect children all around the world.”
International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, said: “A big thank you to the generous pupils across the country who are supporting Soccer Aid for Unicef this year by taking part in the Playground Challenge. The money you raise will be matched by the UK government pound-for-pound, meaning that, together, we can double our donations to children around the world.”
On Friday 8 June, pupils across the UK will bring in a small donation from home to wear their favourite football or sports kit for the day as they kick, bounce or carry a ball around the Playground Challenge obstacle course they’ve designed themselves.
The UK government will match every £1 schools raise, doubling the difference children in the UK can make to the lives of children around the world.
The money raised by schools through the Playground Challenge will support Unicef’s vital work to save and change children’s lives around the world. For example, just £17 could provide enough vaccines to protect 10 children from deadly diseases and £155 could provide a School in a Box to help at least 40 children continue their education in times of emergency.
As well as raising funds, pupils will be learning how Unicef supports children’s rights to health, education and play through a set of free, curriculum-linked online teaching resources.
For more information or to find out how you can get involved in the Soccer Aid Playground Challenge and access free resources visit: unicef.uk/playground
Visit www.socceraid.org.uk to find out more and follow @SoccerAid on Twitter and Instagram, ‘Soccer Aid’ on Facebook and use the hashtag #SoccerAid for regular player and match updates.
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For further information please contact the Unicef UK Press Office on +44 (0)20 7375 6030 or [email protected]
About Unicef
Unicef is the world’s leading organisation for children, promoting the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
Unicef UK raises funds to protect children in danger, transform their lives and build a safer world for tomorrow’s children. As a registered charity we raise funds through donations from individuals, organisations and companies and we lobby and campaign to keep children safe. Unicef UK also runs programmes in schools, hospitals and with local authorities in the UK. For more information please visit unicef.uk
About UK Government Aid Match
Donations to Soccer Aid for Unicef made by the UK public from Friday 6th April until Friday 6th July 2018 will be matched by the UK government up to £5 million. UK Aid Match funding will go towards UNICEF programmes in Swaziland and Lesotho.
The UK Aid Match scheme is run by the Department for International Development, and brings charities, the British public and the UK government together to collectively change the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. For every £1 donated to a selected charity appeal, the government will also contribute £1 of UK aid to enable the charity to go further in changing and saving lives.