Players from Henfield FC’s under-8s team have been scoring goals and funds to help put a smile on the faces of key workers and people most in need in Henfield during these challenging times.

The team has been overwhelmed with the response to its goal scoring fundraising campaign, with over £2,300 raised so far. 

Footballers took part in a ‘100 goals in a week challenge’, which they had to complete in their gardens, to raise money for a rainbow of hand cream gifts for key workers, whose hands are getting dry and sore from using hand sanitiser.

The seven and eight-year-old boys, scored over 2,000 goals (100 goals each), during the challenge, including long free kicks, volleys, half volleys, bicycle kicks, headers and some trick shot goals. This challenge was inspired by the fundraising efforts of Colonel Tom Moore, with the players completing their goals on his 100th birthday.

The team are now donating over 350 Body Shop hand creams to staff at St Barnabas Hospice in Worthing, St Catherine’s Hospice in Crawley, whose logo the team wear on their shirts and they have been fundraising for over the past year, as well as to teams at all Henfield care homes and workers at several local shops who have been helping to keep local people fed since lockdown.

As the team has well exceeded its original fundraising goal, they are also going to provide funding for other projects in Henfield to support people who have been most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Henfield under-8s manager, Tom Wilson, said: “The boys are really missing their weekly training sessions and matches, so we have been setting a few challenges to help them kick their way through coronavirus and stay active. We thought it would be great if their latest challenge helped support others too.”

He adds: “We have been overwhelmed with the support for the team’s fundraising, which is enabling us to help support so many more people than we anticipated, which is amazing. The boys all worked so hard on scoring some great goals and in getting sponsors to support our campaign. I am really proud of them all.”

Once each player completed their 100th goal in the challenge they were asked to share a fun goal celebration video with the team’s coaches.

Manager Tom added: “There were some really creative celebrations including a player jumping in a paddling pool, another running from their house around a sports field, one sliding through puddles and ‘Thank you NHS’ revealed on players’ chests when taking their football shirts off. Hopefully, we can put some of them to good use when we are allowed back on the pitch and are scoring goals again!”

Find out more about Henfield’s ‘100 goals in 7 days challenge’ on their JustGiving page:

Henfield FC Under-8s
W: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/henfieldfc-u8s-kickingforkeyworkers