How to organise a charity football match that raises real money

A charity football match is one of the easiest fundraising events to sell. Players bring their own crowd, everyone understands the format, and people will happily pay to watch a colleague try a slide tackle. The catch is that the match itself rarely makes much money. The money is made around it.

I’m Kevin Durham, a professional charity auctioneer. This guide covers the parts organisers tend to get wrong (FA sanction, insurance and referees), then the part I care about most: turning ninety minutes of football into a total worth announcing.

What is a charity football match?

A charity football match is a one-off game played to raise money for a good cause, rather than for points in a league. The teams might be workmates, two pub sides, parents against teachers, or a local club against a team of ex-players.

At the top end you get Soccer Aid, which raised £16,462,353 for Unicef at London Stadium on 31 May 2026. Look at how that money came in: a live TV appeal, celebrity players, and a foundation doubling donations up to £6 million.

Your match will not have ITV behind it. So the question for any football charity match, or any charity sporting event, is the same: what will people give money for beyond the gate?

Does a charity football match need FA sanction?

Yes, in most cases. If any affiliated club, affiliated player or registered referee is involved, a charity football match in England must be sanctioned by the county FA it falls under.

The FA’s competition regulations point charity matches to FA Rule B, and say the county will need to know whether you have affiliated teams or scratch teams. Under the rules themselves, a match taking gate money with a scratch team needs written consent, and the proceeds must go to an approved cause.

Leicestershire FA puts it plainly: affiliation to the county, or to your league, does not cover hosting a charity match. Sanction is how the county checks teams, insurance and safeguarding for coaches and officials.

Each county sets its own process, so check yours:

Expect to send accounts afterwards too. For small-sided charity games (up to seven-a-side), FA rules want a statement of accounts within 21 days.

What insurance does a charity football match need?

You need public liability cover for the event, and the players need personal accident cover that actually applies to this match. Sanction is what keeps the clubs’ own policies valid.

Leicestershire FA warns that unsanctioned football means the teams’ public liability and personal accident insurance would be invalid. Cumberland FA says clubs and referees in an unsanctioned event may not be insured and may face disciplinary action.

The Fundraising Regulator expects a written risk assessment before any fundraising event, adequate insurance, and a written agreement with every third party involved, whether you pay them or not. That includes the venue. If you are using scratch teams, ask an insurer about event cover directly rather than assuming a club policy stretches to it.

How do you choose the venue, format and referee for a charity football match?

Choose the format first, because it decides the venue, the number of players and the officials you need. A five-a-side or seven-a-side game on a 3G pitch is easier to staff and weatherproof. An eleven-a-side game at a club ground feels like an occasion and holds a bigger crowd.

When choosing a venue, ask three questions:

• Is there a room? A clubhouse, function room or marquee for the presentation afterwards matters more than the pitch.
• What is licensed? If the venue is not licensed for what you plan, a Temporary Event Notice covers fewer than 500 people, staff included. It cost £21 in October 2026 and needs 10 clear working days’ notice.
• Who does first aid? Some venues provide it. If not, it goes in your risk assessment and your budget.

For the referee, go through the county FA once the match is sanctioned. Huntingdonshire FA notes that registered referees are not permitted to officiate in unaffiliated football, which is one more reason to sort the paperwork early.

A planning timeline that works

Three months out, fix the date, the format and the charity. Then book the venue, including the room for afterwards.

Six weeks out, apply for sanction, agree terms with the venue in writing, and line up sponsors and auction lots. Start selling tickets as soon as the sanction is confirmed.

Two weeks out, confirm the referee, first aid and your volunteer list. Then brief whoever is hosting the presentation on the running order.

On the day, arrive early, walk the pitch, and keep the crowd’s evening in mind. People who stood on a touchline for ninety minutes want to sit down, warm up and be entertained.

Where does a charity football match make its money?

A charity football match makes most of its money from sponsorship and from what happens after the final whistle, not from the gate. Ticket income usually pays for the pitch, the referee and the kit.

Player sponsorship is the quiet winner. Set every player a target, give them a sponsorship page in the charity’s name, and announce the top fundraiser at the presentation.

For the raffle, the Gambling Commission allows up to £500 of ticket money on prizes and £100 on costs, and donated prizes have no limit. My guide to running a charity raffle covers the rest.

After the final whistle: where the real money is

The match is the reason people turn up. The presentation afterwards is where the charity’s total gets made.

Get everyone into one room with food, the players still in their kit, and a short programme: thanks, the score, the top fundraisers. Then the line that always gets a cheer: “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the live auction.” Keep it to six to ten strong lots rather than a long list. A football crowd is already competitive, so let it be.

Strong lots for a charity football event:

• The player-of-the-match shirt, signed by both teams and sold straight off their back (the striker who missed an open goal is welcome to bid it back)
• A signed shirt from a professional club, ideally one half the room supports
• Hospitality at a local professional ground
• A chance to play in next year’s match, or to be the manager for the day

The same lots and pacing work at a sports dinner, and the principles carry across to a golf day or any other sport charity event.

One warning. A post-match room is loud. I once announced a live auction while a room was still talking, and only a fraction of the guests heard the lots. I’ve never made that mistake again. Whoever holds the room holds the total, so get the quiet first, even if you have to stand on a chair.

Should you run a live pledge after a charity match?

Yes. A live pledge is the most powerful segment I run, and a post-match crowd is primed for it, because everyone in the room knows someone who just played for the cause.

At one event for Jigsaw Trust, the charity expected £14,000 from the live auction. The auction made £27,000, and a live pledge they had not even planned added £30,600. That was a powerful team behind a powerful charity, but the lesson travels to a clubhouse: the pledge lets everyone give at a level that suits them.

Run it straight after the auction. Start with a high tier, work down, and have someone from the charity say in two sentences what the money will do. The tone shifts here, serious and from the heart, but it’s not a funeral: the excitement builds as the hands go up.

Before you book the pitch

Get the sanction application in early, put your risk assessment and insurance in writing, and plan the room before you plan the kick-off.

If you’re building the day around a dinner or presentation, I can run the live auction and pledge for you. The difference shows up in the final total. To check availability, call me on 07596 851647.