Tips on fundraising by Brentford Penguin FC

Last year, Brentford Penguin FC launched their sessions for people with Down’s syndrome in Ealing and recently they ran a gala to raise money for the football club. Over 60 people attended the event in Ealing, including the Brentford FC captain, family and friends. There were many prizes and auction items up for grabs. There was also an online auction available for everyone and included signed football shirts which were donated by the PFA and other football clubs.

DSActive recently sat down with ex-football player, Allan Cockham to highlight the great work.

What is Brentford Penguin FC?

“Brentford Penguins FC is the official football club for young people with Down’s syndrome in West London. It was created in 2017, to provide a professional football club experience in a unique, fun environment. The training includes music, street football games and obstacles for the participants to enjoy and that helps accelerate learning.”

What are the long-term goals of Brentford Penguin FC?

“The long-term goals of Brentford Penguins FC are to maintain a quality training environment, with regular external incentives, experiences and football playing days, to provide a lifestyle for the young people with Down’s Syndrome and their families, which previously was never even of consideration for them. We would like to share the delivery models with like-minded people wherever they may be also, to extend the Penguin impact and reach marginalised communities elsewhere. Being a competitive team is NOT what the Penguins is about. Instead, we focus on well-being and health as a priority.”

What advice/ tips would you give a football club trying to raise money?

“For any grassroots club looking to raise money, we would advise firstly spending some quality time with the local community. Speak with and befriend the local business owners, explaining your story and ambitions of the club. Write to them all and see if any can support with products or donations for some kind of raffle, as this is a nice and easy way to start raising some money.”

Thank you to Allan Cockham for taking the time to talk about DSActive.

To find a session near a DSActive session near you click here. or if you’ve been inspired to set up your own DSActive session, you can email the DSActive team to find out how.