League's charity launches Easter collection drive

Footballing charity Kit Aid is urging the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League’s clubs to help them celebrate their third year season as the league’s official charity with another huge collection of unwanted or discarded kit for disadvantaged young footballers around the world.

The charity is on an Easter mission again to win the backing of as many clubs as possible in 2014 and repeat the success of each of the last two seasons when more than 30,000 kits have been donated by the Evo-Stik NPL’s clubs and fans, either on the day or at previously organised collections.

Former England manager Graham Taylor OBE is patron of the charity which since its foundation in 1998 has distributed nearly 250,000 donated shirts in more than 30 countries.

Launching their annual appeal, KitAid’s founder Derek Williams MBE, thanked the league’s clubs in advance for their help and urged those who’d never taken part before to consider lending their support to the successful scheme which is deliberately designed to be easy to sign up to and hassle free.

He said: "We’re very grateful to all the clubs who help every the year and I’m sure will be getting together their own collections again. We hope that others give it a go too this year and we see some new names because it is very easy to make a real difference.

"All clubs or their fans need to do is contact us to let us know they are taking part and organise their own collection however they like. Our regional volunteers do the rest, including collecting the kit and any other donations of sporting equipment people that still has a use.

"It’s that easy and well worth the effort for the thousands of very grateful young footballers who’ll be helped. Thank you in advance to everybody who does take part this season."

For more information on KitAid's Easter collection campaign visit: www.kitaid.net