Royals open Kit Aid account

Sutton Coldfield Town are looking forward to backing Kit Aid after agreeing to become a collection and distribution centre for the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League’s charity partner.

KitAid has been the Evo-Stik NPL’s official charity since last season and is supported by a number of clubs including Witton Albion, FC United of Manchester and Marine who've been honoured as KitAid Ambassador Clubs for their work on behalf of the charity.

Since its foundation in 1998 KitAid has sent more than 200,000 donated shirts to under privileged young footballers in more than 30 countries around the world. The charity is supported by Non-League clubs across the country and former England manager Graham Taylor OBE is now their patron.

In 2004 KitAid’s founder Derrick Williams was awarded an MBE for the charity's work and he's delighted to welcome the Royals on board. Speaking from Holland on Thursday, he said: “We’ve always been very grateful for all of the support we get from the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League and the league’s fans and clubs. We’re really happy working alongside the clubs as it makes such a big difference to the kids in places like Africa.

"We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone and we’re especially grateful now to Sutton Coldfield Town who will also be able to help us keep going in in terms of our operating costs by becoming one of our bases.

"KitAid are really pleased to be working with the Royals and we're very grateful for their matchday sponsorship support and for agreeing to store kit on our behalf. This is another great example of how successful our partnership with the Evo-Stik NPL has been for KitAid."

The Royals won’t have to wait for long to see the difference the charity’s work makes after they launched a Christmas appeal for players and fans to donate unwanted kit and equipment at Coles Lane. In January KitAid’s West Midlands regional coordinator Helen Carver is flying to Gambia with a partner charity - Football Gambia - to spend two weeks distributing kit collected from around the area and elsewhere in the UK to disadvantaged villages in northern Gambia.

A police sergeant with West Midlands Police and the manager of Birmingham & West Midlands Police Ladies Football Club, she will also be delivering an education through football programme and helping with the renovation of two schools.

Royals General Secretary Neil Murray said: “We are delighted to be working with KitAid as they are doing such a great job in Africa and elsewhere. With the number of people who come to Coles Lane to play on our 3g pitch, we're hoping that we will be able offer considerable support to Helen with her work in the area on behalf of KitAid.”