£5,391,398 was raised on June 5th from Soccer Aid to benefit Unicef’s work for children and we are honored to be fans of individuals who are so giving, charitable, and passionate about making the world a better place.
Soccer Aid was started in 2006, so this match marked 10 years of the charity involvement with UNICEF. Before 2016, £17 million had been raised but the stories of the lives changed by the kind hearts behind those who play in Soccer Aid is what really counts.
Both the England and Rest of the World teams had all-star lineups from musicians and television stars to absolute legends of football and the guest of honor was none other than Pele himself. We couldn’t have imagined a better charity event than the one they offered this year.
The match was a close one, with both teams absolutely playing their hearts out, they were giving their very best to the fans at Old Trafford, those watching around the world, and to those who took the time to make a donation to Soccer Aid which directly went to benefit children everywhere. There’s a certain type of passion that these individuals held in their hearts as they stepped onto the field and it was felt by everyone watching – they were humbled to be playing football for such an incredible cause.
The donations don’t have to stop just because the match has ended, in fact, until July 29th any amount of money raised will be doubled by the UK Government, that means the generosity of your own heart will be doubled – it’s an incredible opportunity to save lives.
Your donations mean the world to those in need, these are just a few things you’ll be providing children with all across the world when you make a donation to Unicef.
- ‘£5 could help provide life-saving food for a child for a week.
- £8 could help buy vitamin sprinkles for a child for a year so they can get the nutrients they need to grow up healthy.
- £25 could help provide the scales to weigh babies and infants.
- £42 could help provide an HIV test kit for 50 mums-to-be.’
In addition to the money raised and the lives saved, the match itself was an incredible one, and fans of One Direction were absolutely thrilled to see Louis and Niall reunite for a week of pre-game fun, a lot of banter, and a hell of a footie match; especially with the two being on opposing teams.
Louis definitely has his game face on, but Niall was quicker to let a smile loose than his pal; it is quite impossible to contain a grin when you’re around Louis – we understand. Their banter leading up to the game reminded fans of the lads being on tour, something we’re all missing. When the two took the field, however – sans a few plays – it was almost like they forgot they were on opposing sides after all – it’s a bit hard for people who are so used to being on the same team to try to split that up.
One team had to win, however, and England took Soccer Aid 2016 with a 3-2 score at the end of the match. The team was thrilled as they celebrated both at Old Trafford and after the game that evening – back in suits looking indescribably handsome.
As the weekend drew to an end and everyone went back to reality, the impact of what Soccer Aid does, in addition to providing fans with an incredible match to watch and celebrities to participate with, really began to resonate with those who donated and made us want to do more.
As we said, until July 29th any donation you make will be matched by the UK Government, so if you can, please donate to Unicef and remember that any amount counts, and equally as important as donating, is spreading word of Unicef and Soccer Aid – the next match will be in 2018!
What was your favorite part of Soccer Aid 2016? Tweet us at @CelebMix and @CelebMix1D and you may be in our ‘best moments’ article later this week!