Norwich City Community Sports Foundation have revealed just how crucial the £175,000 will be that has been donated to the charity by Canaries supporters instead of ticket rebates.
City fans were entitled to rebates on their season tickets and memberships due to the final 10 games of the 2019-20 season having to be played without spectators due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Canaries revealed recently that around 80 percent of people claimed their rebate but that 10 percent donated to CSF and the remaining 10pc to the football club’s youth academy.
This has generated £175,000, including Gift Aid tax relief, for CSF and will help the charity to combat an estimated £500,000 loss of expected income due to the pandemic.
CSF chief executive Ian Thornton explained: “Everyone at the Foundation is touched by the generosity of supporters at what remains a difficult and uncertain time.
“We feel that this response to the rebate opportunity reflects the pride felt by supporters in the club’s community work, and we are incredibly grateful for this support as a lot of that work takes on an even greater significance.
“We still face challenges as an organisation; since the rebate scheme the Foundation has suffered the cancellation of its largest fund-raising event, Run Norwich, which has added to our original estimate of lost income.”
The donations will be used to fund projects including CSF’s work to help homeless people to improve employment and independent living prospects, sport sessions for people with disabilities, using sport to engage with youngsters in high-need areas and weekly social and exercise sessions for over-55s.
Mr Thornton continued: “At the same time as working to replace that lost income, construction of the new building at our community hub The Nest is nearing completion and we have £100,000 left to raise from our Build the Nest campaign.
“We will continue to work hard to serve the community, and it has been wonderful to see participants return to sessions where safe to do so, including on the new 3G pitch at The Nest.”
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