Town charity backed by Cov City
SKY Blue stars of the future will be promoting a charity set up in the name of a tragic Nuneaton tot every time they take to the pitch.
Georgie’s Gift, the charity established by Matt and Paula Hall in memory of their ‘little princess’ Georgie who sadly died from meningitis, is one of seven charities to be chosen to be backed by Coventry City FC.
Multi-millionaire businessman Richard Overson agreed to sponsor the Coventry City Academy from Under 9s up to Under 14s, but instead of using to promote his own firm he asked Sky Blues fans to decide which charities should feature on the kits and benefit from the sponsorship publicity.
Much to their delight, Georgie’s Gift is one of the chosen seven, something Matt Hall could not believe.
“One of my friends is a Coventry City Fan, a season ticket holder, and he told me about the competition, so we decided to go for it, and promoted it on the charity’s social media, and then thought nothing of it really, so we were shocked when we heard that we were one of the six chosen charities.
“This is excellent news for the charity, it means that that we can raise the profile of the charity and allow us to expand out of Nuneaton and Bedworth a bit, it is good for the charity to have been given such a big profile.
“We would like to thank everyone who voted for us, I heard that some well-known Midlands charities, including one in Coventry, was not one of the chosen six which is a testament to the people who have and continue to support us and the charity.”
As a result of the deal, the Georgie’s Gift logo will appear on the front of the Academy home shirts from Under 9s to Under 14s and the charity will also be able to hold collections during matches, as well as receive advertising in match day programmes and around the stadium.
It has been revealed that there were almost 800 votes from supporters and the seven charities are as follows: Myeloma UK, Myton Hospice. Mercia Therapy Centre, Coventry Wildlife Centre, Georgie’s Gift, Northleigh House and the Graham Fulford Charitable Trust.
Richard Overson said: “It’s great to see the fans responding in numbers to help select the charities which are truly important to them. Personally, I am very pleased to be able to support these local charities as well as the CCFC Academy teams and look forward to a successful season ahead.”
Tynan Scope, commercial manager, said: “We were delighted with Richard Oversons support for the Academy and even more so when he donated the opportunity to promote local and national charities. We were overwhelmed with nominations by Sky Blue fans and it was great to be able to engage with fans in this way. We are really looking forward to working with each of the charities.”