Hi all.

I hope you are all enjoying the festive break and are looking forward to a joyous Christmas with your loved ones.

2025 has been another brilliant year for KitAid thanks to everyone’s support and hard work and here are the year end totals

Total items of kit donated in 2025  –        106,081
Total items of kit donated since 1998  –  1,232,027

This is the first year we have donated more than 100k items for some time and we are on track to reach the next milestone of 1,250,000 items by April 2026.

Boxing Up – To start 2026

A provisional date has been set for Saturday 24 January and once things have been confirmed with Affinity Water I will send out the invitation to everyone. If you could mark this date in your new diary it would be appreciated.

In terms of boxing up sessions I would like to say a big thank you to Jeff who visits the storeroom at Hatfield every fortnight to tidy things up and to take home packages, of which there are many, to open and send Thank You certificates. This is really important as it avoids the room getting unmanageable. Thanks also to the two Steve’s at Affinity Water who take in all of the deliveries for KitAid.

Harry Mnisi Foundation Sports Day – 13 December.

KitAid was one of the sponsors for this event in Acornhoek, South Africa as we donated £1,000 towards the expenses.

700 people took part in a multitude of sports with ages ranging for toddlers to the Grannies football teams. We have built a strong relationship with the HMF and Ben is looking to visit them next year to train their coaches to a professional standard.

We also sponsored the Belfast Ballysillan Football Camp in July with a donation of £1,000 and the Bulindi Chimpanzee Protection tournament in Uganda with a donation of £500.  When you consider our total annual income is less than £20k it is a considerable achievement to support other charities on such a small income.

Smiley Charity Film Awards –  We need your Votes!

If you haven’t already done so PLEASE vote for KitAid by clicking HERE.

The only way we can get shortlisted is through external voting so please do take the time to register and vote and also share with your friends/family/network!

End of Year Film

Ben does a fantastic job producing all of the weekly Film Friday’s and HERE IS THE LINK to a brilliant film which captures the highlights of 2025. 

Positive End Quote

2025 has been another great year with so many highs and a few challenges that we as a team have overcome. As an entirely volunteer run charity what we have achieved is amazing and I am incredibly proud that we continue to operate in a way which our former Patron, Graham Taylor OBE, would be proud of.

KitAid is a wonderful team and I am honoured to orchestrate activities, along with our Trustees, into our 28th year.

Here is a final quote from one of our recipients.

Your support has made a tremendous difference to our players  many of whom previously had to share or play in worn out equipment. The new kits have not only boosted their confidence on the field but have also strengthened the team’s sense of unity and pride. Our players were over the moon when they received them, and the smiles on their faces said it all!

We have attached some photos so you can see the team wearing the new kits and celebrating this wonderful gift. We hope these images give you a sense of how much your kindness means to us.

Thank you once again for investing in our club and in the future of young footballers in our community. Your generosity will have a lasting impact on our ability to play, compete, and grow as a team.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND VERY BEST WISHES FOR A FULFILLING AND HEALTHY 2026

Derrick

Hi all,

September 2025 will be known as a record breaking month as we donated the most kit since records began (in 1998). We donated more last month than in the whole of 2007 and each preceding year. Here are the record breaking figures:

Total items of kit donated in September  –  17,064
Total items of kit donated in 2025               –  82,798
Total items of kit donated since 1998       –  1,208,744

September’s total is a staggering amount of kit, enough to kit 1,138 teams, and it shows just how much kit is being donated, collected, sorted and distributed.  This is testament to all of our wonderful volunteers and supporters.

KitAid Scotland

On 13 September KitAid Scotland was officially launched in Airdrie and the reins were passed over to our very good friends Diamonds in the Community. These guys have effectively been running KitAid in Scotland for the past 12 years and we felt the time was right to give them their due credit and claim independence. They will still work under the main KitAid umbrella but be recognised as a separate group, in the same way as KitAid Australia and KitAid USA.

We held a lovely launch session, attended by two MSP’s, with a great crowd from DitC and toasted in true Scottish fashion! Many thanks to Dougy, Stephen and all of the volunteers for your long standing support and friendship. We even completed the 11 mile Edinburgh Kiltwalk the following morning to show our support, but minus the kilts!!

William Troost Ekong (WTE Foundation)

On Monday I was delighted to meet up with WTE who is the current captain of Nigeria, the Super Eagles, and a former Watford FC player. He runs a Foundation in Nigeria supporting hundreds of children, promoting education via football. He currently plays in Saudi Arabia and found time to visit the container site on a flying visit home to see his family.

37 boxes of kit were loaded into his van for onward delivery to Uyo. A reporter and camera crew from a major Middle East broadcaster also filmed the handover and interviewed William and myself. As well as his Foundation he is well known for promoting environmental issues which closely align with KitAid. There are photos of the visit on our Instagram, X, FB and Linkedin sites and we look forward to working with William in the future.

Boxing Up, Liverpool and Hatfield

Congratulations and many thanks to everyone who helped out at each session.

The Liverpool session was the first at a new venue and Richie and his team from the Everton Heritage Society did incredibly well. They sorted and packed 8,000+ items which is a staggering amount.  The Hatfield session was more testing than usual due to building works and restricted access, but the team overcame them and both sessions resulted in circa 12,000 items of kit supporting 14 different charities.

The next session at Hatfield will be towards the end of November but with so much kit arriving we may have to consider holding two more before Christmas. Watch this space.

Leverstock Green FC Sponsored game

KitAid is the official match sponsor on 15 November for the home game against Aylesbury Utd.

As some of you will be aware we have a close relation with LGFC, they are an Ambassador Club and I am honored to be the current Club President. It is a really friendly club, the football is exciting (Step 4 Non League) and I would love to see a good group of KitAid supporters at the game.

Please come along to show our support to a community club who go the extra mile.

UEFA recognition

KitAid has received recognition in the newly updated “Circular Economy Guidelines” which is incredibly satisfying. We see this as an acknowledgement and endorsement of our hard work from the highest governing body in European Football. Our thanks must go to Joanna Czutkowna who is an advocate of our work and submitted the section which mentioned KitAid. We first met Jo at a conference we attended last year and since then she has been incredibly supportive of KitAid. This recognition will help us in many ways, not only in encouraging kit donations but also if we wish to apply for funding or awards, as we can refer to the report.

You can access the report here and KitAid is featured on page 118.

Rickmansworth Road Run – Sunday 26 October

Just a reminder to any runners, family or friends, who would love the challenge of a 10 Mile scenic run, please support the Ricky Road Run as KitAid is one of the chosen charities. Also, if anyone can help with marshalling, please let them know as this is an area where help is always needed. You can enter or volunteer via www.rickyroadrun.co.uk

As September was such an incredible month it seems fitting to end this update with some feedback received from people we have supported

“We cannot thank you enough for the kits that you have given us on behalf of Matanga FC. I know the guys will be over the moon when I break the great news to them.”
Charles Ndoro

“We truly appreciate your kindness and generosity towards this good cause. In July our Under 16 boys team made history by winning the Dana Cup in Denmark –  the very first team from East and Central Africa to achieve this milestone. Thank you for standing with us and for believing in the potential of these young talents.”
Aaron – One Tanzanite Academy

The above truly capture why we all do what we do for KitAid and thank you for this.

Derrick

Hi all,

July was another really busy month with over 30 visits to the containers to either drop kit off or to meet charities to hand kit over.  Here are the latest monthly totals

Total items of kit donated in July  –  9,080
Total items of kit donated in 2025  –  58,180
Total items of kit donated since 1998  – 1,184,126

Our next target of reaching 1,250,000 items donated is now on the horizon for mid 2026.

Hatfield Boxing Up

A date has been booked for Saturday 20 September so please block the morning out in your diary if you attend the sessions at Hatfield. There is a complication as the big front glass doors are due to be replaced on a Saturday morning but as yet, the date hasn’t been confirmed.  If it does turn out to be the same day as our session we will need to work around it and use the “Deliveries” area at the back of the building to hand boxes over to the charities.  Fingers crossed it will happen before our session and I will send out the invitations soon.

A lot of kit has arrived in Liverpool and Richie is working with a friend to store it away from St Luke’s at Goodison with the possibility of holding a kit sorting session in October. It would be great to see some of our “northern” volunteers at the session and once the date and venue is confirmed I will let you know.

WhatsApp Group

Thanks to those of you who joined the new KitAid WhatsApp group.

It is a really good way of receiving news quickly as well as pictures and film clips. If you are a WhatsApp user please join via the following link https://chat.whatsapp.com/Du6fCBINJzOFopcvYq9VRs?mode=ac_t

KitAid Grants

Although as a charity KitAid does not receive any grants or funding we somehow manage to give out small grants to partner projects we value.  So far this year we have made the following grants :-

£1,000 to Ballysillan YFC Belfast for the week long football camp recently held.
£1,000 to Bulindi Chimpanzee protection project in Uganda  for the 3 month football tournament.
£1,000 to Harry Mnisi Foundation in South Africa for the multi sports day in December.

We are proud to support long term partner charities where we can.

Ricky Road Run/ Sir Mo Farah

You may have seen the recent film clip Mo Farah recorded for us to promote the 41st Ricky Road Run on 26 October.  It was really good of him to do this, especially as he was on holiday. We are lucky to have built a good relationship with him.

Calling all runners who are fit enough to run 10 miles, please consider entering this event as we are one of the charities they are supporting. I have also been asked if we can find some marshals to help out on the day.  This is a crucial role to the success of the event and to the safety of the runners. It is also good fun and if you can help please let me know.  See www.rickyroadrun.co.uk for further information and entry form.

A shorter update this month but please tune in to the social media sites as stories are posted most days. Also, please join the WhatsApp group for even more news, – https://chat.whatsapp.com/Du6fCBINJzOFopcvYq9VRs?mode=ac_t

As ever, a massive thank you to all of our volunteers and supporters, as without you, the wheels would not turn and the kit would not be collected and donated.

Have a great August

Derrick

Hi all,

For those of you who missed the monthly update for March, my apologies. I was returning from Charlotte USA at the usual time of writing and then catching up on emails/meetings. Normal service is now resumed and here are the totals for each month.

Total items of kit donated in March  =  8,877
Total items of kit donated in April    =  8,235
Total items of donated so far in 2025  =  26,863
Total items of kit donated since 1998 =  1,152,809

KitAid USA launch

The launch took place on 28 March in Charlotte, North Carolina with a small gathering of partners and supporters. Earlier in the week meetings were held with the two partner organisations, Sports Friends and Missionary Athletic International, to secure storage and general support.
On a day to day basis KitAid USA will be run by Kyle Abts, Herschel Rothchild who are based in the USA with support from Ben Wildman. I will offer guidance support based on experience of running KitAid UK.
A large donation of basketball kit has already been received and the social media sites are all live, so KitAid USA is officially ready to roll.

Boxing Up – Saturday 14 June, Hatfield

Thanks to those who have replied to the invitation and we currently could do with a few more helpers if you are able to join us. We have five Charities attending and the storeroom is nearly full.
We seem to have lost some of our previous volunteers, for a variety of reasons, and a couple of weeks ago we issued a targeted appeal for new helpers.  If you do know of anyone who would like to join Team KitAid please encourage them to do so and let me know their contact details.

Green Football/Great Save Campaign

You may have seen some of the national publicity this campaign received and this year they focused on collecting football kits to save them from being sent to landfill.
We were selected by Watford FC and Wycombe Wanderers FC as their chosen charity to receive shirts donated by supporters. In total we received over 1,000 items of kit and each club gave us a lot of publicity prior to selected matches. I was also interviewed on the pitch at half time at both Vicarage Road and Adams Park.
A very big thank you to both Clubs, to their Community Trust/Foundation and to Dan Proberts, Amanda from “Kindness in Bucks” and to everyone who helped out at the collections.

“It’s more than just a shirt………..”

Our motto has different meanings and we regularly see examples of how the kit has helped in many different ways.
We recently donated 50 brand new sports bra’s to our good friends, FOMO Malawi, as Mary mentioned in passing that she had bought some to allow the players from FOMO Women FC to compete. Without a sports bra they cannot take part in senior league football, which is just another obstacle they are faced with.
Staying in Malawi, we recently heard that one of the former KitAid FC boys, is now playing professionally for Nyassa Big Bullets in the Malawi Super League. Zaneel Jussab also plays for the Malawi U20 team. His younger brother plays for KitAid FC and Zaneel still contacts Mary to ask her for boots as they are not provided by the Club!
We have also regularly supported projects in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and over recent years, the development of girls football. Tham Ndlovu recently informed us that two girls from a team we have supported, Lobengula City Queens, have been selected to play for the Zimbabwe U17 national team.

Although our support is not based on achieving sporting success, it is great to see people being given opportunities to develop and to give inspiration to others.

Positive End note

The following message was recently received from Olga Lee

“The support you give doesnt just improve young people’s wardrobes only, but instead you improve their mental and physical well being. You also give them the confidence to be a part of their community through being part of a team.”

Thanks everyone for your help and support and for keeping KitAid active.

Have a good May.

Derrick

Hi all,

The New Year has started off where the old one left and January has been another good month for KitAid. Here are the latest totals:

Total items donated in January/2025  =  5,530
Total items donated since 1998           =  1,130,509

Ricky Road Run

You may recall KitAid was chosen as one of the charities for the 40th Ricky Road Run which was held last October.

We had a wonderful surprise when an amazing donation of £4,080 was transferred to the KitAid bank account as our share of the proceeds from the event.  This is one of the biggest single donations we have ever received and it will pay for the container hire costs for the whole of 2025.

A massive thank you and congratulations to the team of graduates from Affinity Water who organised the event and to all of the race sponsors and runners.

Hertfordshire FA

Ben Wildman and myself attended an evening event for Charter Standard Clubs across the County. We were given a 15 minute slot at the meeting to present on KitAid. Interestingly more than half of the Clubs present had previously donated to KitAid but it was a really useful opportunity to remind people of our work.

From the meeting we have started discussions with Garston Ladies about setting up a twinning partnership with Lobangula City Queens from Zimbabwe. Once this is established we will look to extend the arrangement with some other Clubs. If you are reading this and you are from a Club who might be interested in twinning please let me know.

Vin O’Brien

Vin recently let me know that he has decided to retire as a Regional Rep for Formby after many years of service to KitAid.

I would like to pay tribute to Vin as without his support in the very early years I am certain KitAid would not be in the position it is today. In 2005 Sally Howe and myself attended a meeting at Anfield and met Vin for the very first time. Vin worked in the main PR team at Liverpool FC. He immediately understood what KitAid was about and he arranged to take the Champions League trophy into a local school, let the children have their photo taken with it and arranged for the donations to be presented to KitAid on the pitch at half time at Anfield. When he retired from the Club he came on board as a Regional Rep.

In the early years KitAid needed to build a reputation and to get the support of some big name clubs.  Vin’s support laid the foundations of where KitAid is today.

Enjoy your second retirement Vin and many thanks from all of your friends at KitAid.

2025 Thank You certificates

I have posted a number of certificates to the Regional Coordinators I am unlikely to see at a boxing up session in Hatfield. If you haven’t received any and you are unlikely to attend the next boxing up session please let me know. The next session is pencilled in for 8 March, and once the venue availability is confirmed, I will send out the invitation email.

Positive End Note

We received the following message from the Yayotse Organisation in Ghana which really captures the spirit of KitAid and why we all do what we do:

“KitAid has, by this donation, afforded our young people, who are mostly underprivileged and underserved, a glimmer of hope and a sense of belongingness that the world has their back.”

Thanks to everyone for your support which makes the above possible.

Derrick
KitAid