People of North Wales – can you make a child’s Christmas by donating a football shirt ?

Can you help a disadvantaged child in the UK this Christmas by giving them a football shirt?

North Wales is being urged to take part in a national appeal to spread some Yuletide cheer.

Paul Watson, former international football manager, author and sports journalist, has teamed up with his stand up star and fellow sports enthusiast brother Mark, for ‘12 Days of Kitmas’ an appeal to get football shirts under the trees of disadvantaged young football fans this Christmas.

With Covid-19 pushing the UK into recession, a typically tough period for parents trying to make ends meet is destined to be even tougher, and Paul saw the opportunity to take some of the pressure off families.

The appeal is encouraging British football supporters to raid their cupboards for preloved kit their families no longer wear to be distributed in deprived communities that need them across the UK ahead of Christmas eve.

Talking about why he started it, Paul said: “”I had been sending football kit around the world to places where it is needed from Africa to the Pacific Islands, but seeing 15 football shirts in the garage in need of new homes, I realised there was also a need much closer that I could support.

“I always loved receiving a football shirt when I was a kid and never forgot the excitement of pulling it on, so I’m hoping we can spread that happiness to as many as possible in what will have been an incredibly tough year.

“I set out thinking that finding 100 shirts for kids who may not get presents otherwise would be a good effort, but thanks to the kindness of the football loving community it has become so much bigger and now we are absolutely committed to doing the best we can for as many as we can.”

The appeal has attracted so much attention that Paul and Mark are widening the search to look for even more organisations and community groups around the UK to benefit from the extraordinary generosity they have seen so far, and are inviting nominations via kitmasappeal@gmail.com

The appeal launched on 18th November,and runs until 2nd December, and it’s easy to take part. Simply visit this link for details https://www.gofundme.com/f/kitmas

Then package up your shirt and send it off to be matched to a new home.

And for those who aren’t football fanatics but still want to help, there is an option to chip in, with 100% of proceeds going towards sourcing and distributing more shirts.

Paul C. Watson is a British writer and football coach.

Once a semi-professional footballer himself, he is best known for serving as coach of the Pohnpei State football team and Federated States of Micronesia national football team in 2009 and 2010, an experience about which he wrote the 2012 book Up Pohnpei.

He later moved to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to assist in the founding of a new team, Bayangol FC.

In 2018, Watson was the lead organiser and tournament director for the CONIFA World Football Cup in London for nations, states and peoples not recognised by FIFA.